Europeans Prefer to Shop Online Within Their Own Countries

The European Union may be well-connected with quality internet, expensive mobile phones, and computers, and online shopping is a new trend in retail, but the potential for cross-border online shopping has yet to be fulfilled.

This is the main conclusion of the European Commission’s fresh report for this year, the Consumer Scoreboard, which states that as many as 61 percent of respondents prefer to shop within their own country rather than in another member state of the Union. The research, primarily dedicated to the Digital Single Market, has shown that classic problems remain unresolved, despite the efforts and desires of the Commission. Thus, lack of trust, geographical limitations, and price discrimination continue to be obstacles to the stronger development of this form of trade.

Incentive Measures 

Given that the digital market is at the top of the list of important topics for the European Commission under the leadership of Jean-Claude Juncker, measures to facilitate cross-border digital traffic can soon be expected in this area. Before the end of the year, the Commission announces, a proposal will be presented that will encompass rules on contracts and consumer protection online applicable throughout the EU. The statement highlights several key conclusions from the latest research that is regularly conducted. The report tracks the integration of the single European market from the consumer’s perspective, as well as the quality of national conditions for consumers. Croatia is among the countries with a low level of development of consumer conditions (awareness and trust, enforcement and compliance with rules, complaints and resolution of complaints). Specifically, it ranks worst in terms of awareness and trust, third and second worst regarding knowledge of consumer rights and traders, respectively, and Croatian consumers are second in terms of distrust in public institutions.

Consumer Rights

Some of the principal complaints at the EU level relate to the adaptation of products to local conditions, delivery, and price differences depending on the country of residence. The next ongoing problem is the very low awareness, both among traders and consumers, about their rights. Only a dismal nine percent of respondents could accurately answer questions related to their rights, with young people leading the way. It is also interesting that as many as a quarter of all consumers never complain about the problems they face, mainly due to doubts about the outcome of the procedure, lack of information, duration of the process, etc. Finally, trust in product quality offers some optimism as it has remained stable in recent years. Most products, except for food items, are considered safe by 69 percent of consumers and 75 percent of traders.