11 Mar 2026

What Todays Online Shoppers Really Want (And Why Most Websites Get It Wrong)

By The Pixel Consumer expectations have never been higher. In a world of mobile-first browsing, instant comparisons and AI-powered everything, retailers face a simple challenge:

Make it effortless or lose the sale.

The Pixel in conjunction with Athos Commerce ran a survey of 1,000 shoppers and heres what the latest shopper behaviour data reveals about how people search, browse and buy online, and importantly what it means for your eCommerce strategy.

Mobile Dominates Discovery, But Desktop Still Wins Big Purchases

When searching for something to buy online:

64% prefer mobile
27% prefer desktop
9% prefer tablet

Mobile is clearly the starting point for most customer journeys. But heres the nuance: When it comes to larger purchases,

59% switch to desktop to complete the transaction

This tells us something important: customers may discover on mobile, but they still value the perceived control, visibility and security of desktop when spending more. Retailers need seamless cross-device experiences, not just responsive design.

Navigation Is Make-or-Break

An image showing that 80% of consumers have abandoned a site because it was difficult to navigate

A staggering 80% of shoppers have abandoned a website because it was difficult to navigate or find products. Only 20% say they havent. That means poor UX isnt a minor issue, its a revenue leak.

How Shoppers Prefer to Find Products

An image showing the functionalities consumers like to use

When browsing a website, customers rely on multiple tools: (multi-select answer)

Filters - 52%
Categories - 51%
Site search - 49%
Product recommendations - 19%
AI/chatbots - 9%

The takeaway? Shoppers want control. They prefer structured browsing and clear refinement tools over conversational AI. While AI has a place, its not replacing core navigation anytime soon.

Site Search: A Critical Conversion Driver

An image showing that most consumers always or often use site search

Site search plays a bigger role than many brands realise:

23% use it every time
48% use it often
25% use it sometimes
3% rarely
1% never

That means over 70% of shoppers regularly rely on site search. For many users, the search bar is the storefront and the key product discovery tool. If its inaccurate, slow, or poorly configured, conversions suffer.

What Actually Drives Purchase Decisions?

When deciding whether to buy, shoppers care most about: (multi-select)

Price - 79%
Reviews - 60%
Product description - 52%
Product photos - 43%
Delivery time - 37%
Delivery & returns info - 34%
Brand reputation - 33%

Price may dominate, but trust signals (reviews, clear descriptions, transparency) are close behind.

Biggest Online Shopping Frustrations

The most common pain points:

Unclear pricing or hidden costs - 21%
Too many choices - 18%
Confusing product information - 16%
Hard to compare products - 16%
Fake or unhelpful reviews - 12%
Poor search filters - 11%

Customers dont just want options, they want clarity especially on pricing, product information and product reviews.

What Makes Shoppers Leave Immediately?

These are instant deal-breakers: (multi-select)

Too many pop-ups - 59%
Slow loading - 47%
Doesnt feel trustworthy - 46%
Poor images - 38%
High delivery costs - 37%
Price seems suspiciously high/low - 37%
Lack of reviews - 35%
Confusing layout/navigation - 31%
Lack of product information - 25%

Pop-ups and slow performance top the list - a reminder that aggressive conversion tactics often do the opposite.

Are Product Recommendations Important?

Product recommendations (You may also like) matter, but theyre not universal:

Very important - 23%
Important - 31%
Somewhat important - 24%
Not important - 22%

That means over half of shoppers value them, but theyre secondary to strong navigation, search and product clarity.

What This Means for Retailers

If we step back, a few themes emerge:

Make Mobile Exceptional. Its the primary discovery channel.
Optimise Desktop for High-Value Purchases. Confidence matters when spending more.
Fix Navigation Before Adding AI. Filters, categories and site search drive real behaviour.
Importance of Site Search . Its not a feature, its a conversion engine.
Remove Friction. Pop-ups, slow pages, hidden costs and confusing layouts cost sales.

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