Welcome to Klarna’s Shopping Pulse: Greece

2 years into the pandemic, digital transformation has accelerated, and shoppers have turned online more than ever before. Many retailers have pivoted to evolve their online presence to meet new shopper expectations online. But does this mean physical stores are irrelevant? Not at all. Our research shows physical stores still play an essential role for shoppers. That said, many people anticipate they will shop online even more often in the future.

In this report, you’ll find a pulse check on shopping habits worldwide — and more specifically, in Greece.

Happy exploring!

Methodology.

Insights from Klarna’s consumer research, conducted in collaboration with research agency Dynata to a representative sample of 1,001 consumers from Greece aged 18-65+ in September 2022.

The data from that survey has been compared with the data from Klarna’s Pulse reports, which are conducted in cooperation with Nepa across 13 countries (the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland). The research is conducted quarterly and always includes a minimum of 1,000 respondents in each country. In total, 15,115 consumers participated during Q2 2022. The sample sizes are nationally representative, naturally including both Klarna users and non-Klarna users, and have been selected by research agency Nepa.

14 countries

15,115 consumers, out of which 1,001 from Greece.

150m consumers

400,000 retailers

Online shopping data.
Insights from Klarna’s shopping data. Klarna serves more than 150 million consumers and 400,000 retailers.

Digital transformation in retail.

Online shopping has accelerated amid the pandemic. And there are no signs of the digital transformation slowing down. Shoppers’ preferences for online shopping continue to increase despite restrictions lifting in physical stores worldwide.

Online shopping is on the rise.

Shoppers globally are growing increasingly fond of online shopping. Not surprisingly, many retailers have stepped up their digital offerings during the pandemic. Younger generations prefer the online shopping experience while their older peers are trending in the same direction as they grow increasingly tech-savvy.

3rd out of 14

Greek shoppers rank in 3rd place when it comes to preference for online shopping, only trailing behind the UK and Sweden.

Where shoppers would do most of their shopping if they could choose freely.

The charts below show how shoppers in each country would choose split their shopping between online and in-store. The remaining population has a neutral preference.

Attitudes towards online and physical stores.

Shoppers’ choice heavily depends on whether they are looking to save time and money—or whether they are looking for better social interaction and customer service.

Younger generations think they get better social interaction online to a higher extent. This correlates with being more likely to purchase items seen on social media and attend live shopping events.

9 in 10

Greek shoppers think that shopping online instead of in-store saves them time and offer them better prices.

76%

think that returns are easier in-store. The benefits of shopping in-store are fewer, but have a strong impact for the overall shopping experience.

Physical stores are still the norm for shoppers.

Consumers are still shopping in physical stores more frequently than they are shopping online despite the growing preference for online shopping.

1 in 3

Gen Z’ers (33%) and Millennials (39%) shop online on a weekly basis, which is far more frequent compared to Gen X’ers (22%) and Baby Boomers (11%).

10th out of 14

Greece is on the lower end when it comes the share of weekly online shoppers compared to the other countries in this report.

Some categories appear more available online than others.

While some retail categories are shopped more often online, physical stores still see certain product types are bought more often in person. The biggest differences are found across some of the most commonly bought categories, indicating an opportunity for disruption, as online shopping’s main drivers are convenience and the ability to save time.

The charts below show the average percentage of shoppers in each market who have shopped the category online and in physical stores respectively (during the past month).

Clothing & Shoes

are bought just as often online (46%) as in physical stores (45%).

Electronics

Electronics are clearly bought more often online than in physical stores.

Technology investments are a must.

Today’s shoppers are looking for innovative solutions that give them a better shopping experience. These are the main focus areas for online and physical stores according to shoppers themselves.

Frictionless payments

are the most wanted innovation for Greek shoppers, both online (59%) and in-store (64%).

Evolving payment preferences.

Payments are a fundamental part of the shopping experience that continues to evolve with emerging preferences driven by technological innovation.

The rise of Buy Now, Pay Later.

Shoppers all over the world are turning to Buy Now, Pay Later to an increasingly higher extent. In fact, there are only two countries in which shoppers prefer credit cards over Buy Now, Pay Later.

According to the consumers themselves, the main reasons for choosing Buy Now, Pay Later over credit cards are to avoid having an open line of credit and save money, since it’s cheaper compared to credit cards that charge additional fees and interest.

3x

three times as many Greek shoppers would prefer ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ services (63%) over credit cards (22%).

Greeks <3 BNPL

there is an even higher preference for choosing Buy Now, Pay Later over credit cards in Greece than in other countries.

Why shoppers are ditching their credit cards in favor of Buy Now, Pay Later.

Buy Now, Pay Later > credit cards

because credit cards charge additional fees and interest.

Gen Z

choose BNPL since it’s more consumer friendly.

Greek shoppers <3 Buyers protection.

There are obvious thresholds when shopping at a distance – as shoppers won’t be able touch and feel the products until they arrive. The main concerns that may prevent shoppers from completing a purchase online can be eased with offering buyers protection to shoppers.

Mobile shopping on the rise.

As smartphones and tablets continue to take screen time from computers, mobile devices are expected to play a central role in the continued digitalization of retail.

Mobile shopping on the rise.

While most shoppers still prefer traditional desktops or laptops when shopping online, the preference for mobile devices is rising in the countries with the lowest preference at the beginning of the year.

39%

prefer to use mobile phones for online shopping in Greece, which is on par with the global average.

Social shopping on the rise.

Social media and online live shopping events drive increased engagement, discovery, and more informed purchasing decisions—particularly among younger generations.

Digitalization of shopping.

The shopping discovery path is shaped in different patterns across countries and generations but one common unifying factor is the tendency to rely on digital channels to an increasing extent.

Online > in-store

it’s far more common to start the shopping journey in a search engine like Google (64%) or in an online store (61%) than it is to start in-store (44%).

Followers become buyers.

On average, 45% of Greek shoppers have purchased a product after seeing it on social media. And about half of them did it directly from the platform.

1st out of 14

Greeks significantly more often buy a product after seeing it on social media, compared to the global average.

Taking the shopping experience to the next level.

Shoppers are looking for innovative online shopping experiences, and are keen to engage with new types of experiences such as livestream shopping.

1 in 2

Greeks (49%) have heard about live stream shopping events, but only 11% have tried it.

A year from now.

Over the past 2 decades, online shopping has pivoted from something for early adopters and enthusiasts into the preferred way to shop for people all over the world. Technological innovation will continue to marvel and excite, retailers will continue to improve their digital offering, and the digitalization of retail will continue to shape the future of shopping.

Predictions for the future.

There’s still a general belief that the majority of shopping will be done in physical stores in a year’s time—but preferences are quickly shifting.

This chart illustrates the share of shoppers believing they will make the majority of their shopping online or in physical stores respectively.

1 in 2

Gen Z (53%) and Millennials (57%) believe they will make most of their purchases online in one years time.

And that’s that.

Klarna’s Shopping Pulse insights are updated quarterly, so stay tuned for future updates.

Thirsty for more knowledge?

Make sure to check out the other reports available at Klarna Insights.