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ItalianoMCI | The Entrepreneurial School® and the School of Management and Law of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) took a close look at online retailing again this year. The online retailer survey was conducted for the sixth time in a row, with 598 online retailers from Austria and Switzerland taking part. The survey was conducted by Prof. Dr. Claudia Brauer of the MCI together with Dr. Darius Zumstein and Carmen Oswald of the ZHAW.
Corona e-commerce boom over
Half of the online shops continue to report growing online sales, albeit at a somewhat slower pace than in the previous year. For the other half, "business as usual" has returned. Nevertheless, nine out of ten retailers agree: the corona e-commerce boom is over. "Customers' usual shopping behaviour is back and they are shopping more in shops again," Prof. Brauer explains the decline. In addition, the majority of retailers confirm that consumer sentiment and purchasing power have deteriorated due to prevailing crises such as inflation and the Ukraine war.
Staff shortage and competition prevail
The biggest challenges for online retailers have shifted since last year's survey: for example, the delivery problems of the previous year are levelling off again, but the situation regarding the search for qualified staff is getting worse. About half say they are suffering from a shortage of skilled workers. Meanwhile, competition continues to increase, with two-thirds of companies reporting a decline in sales due to increased online competition. "To keep up in the highly competitive markets, companies are forced to invest in cost-intensive marketing measures. For many online retailers, this poses a massive problem due to tight budgets and complex content," adds Prof. Brauer.
Digital trends
For the first time, the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in e-commerce were also examined in the course of the online retailer survey. According to retailers, AI, especially ChatGPT, is most frequently used for text and graphics creation in online shops. In addition, the help of chatbots is increasingly used for digital customer advice. In online marketing, AI also supports the control, analysis and optimisation of advertising campaigns. According to Prof. Brauer, valuable opportunities are opening up here: "Even if artificial intelligence does not completely compensate for the existing lack of personnel, the rapidly spreading AI tools can now offer high-quality support."
Digital solutions are also increasingly being used for payments: Mobile payment, especially Apple Pay and Google Pay, is gaining popularity. The market for payment by instalments and "Buy Now, Pay Later" providers such as Klarna is growing.
Practical relevance in MCI studies
This is the third time Prof. Dr. Claudia Brauer has played a key role in the annual research study. She teaches in the Department of Business & Management at the Entrepreneurial School® and has been conducting research in the areas of internet technologies and measuring the success of internet-based business models for more than 13 years. She conveys her highly topical and practical research results to students at national and international universities and advises companies in their digital activities.