← All trends

Customers, Sales and Marketing · Trend

Online shopping is growing: answer customers’ questions before they buy

European and US data show the growing role of online shopping. For a small business, clearer product and delivery information may be a better first test than more advertising.

Content updated: 10/11/2026

What is changing?

The internet is becoming a purchasing channel for more people, as well as a place to research products. That does not mean every business needs a new website. Checking whether an existing product page answers customers’ questions is a smaller starting point.

How do we know?

Eurostat, the EU statistics office, reports that internet users buying online in the previous 12 months rose from 62% in 2015 to 78% in 2025. The US Census Bureau, a federal statistics agency, reports e-commerce rising from 16.3% of retail sales in Q2 2025 to 17.1% in Q2 2026. One measures people; the other measures sales value.

Who is affected, and how?

Customers cannot hold the product, so they rely on dimensions, usage and delivery information to decide. Repeated questions can reveal what a page is missing. Sales and support teams can test whether clearer answers reduce repeated enquiries. Clearer information does not guarantee more sales; it may also help prevent orders based on mistaken expectations.

What can I do?

Choose one product and answer its three most common questions on the existing page. Those three answers are your first concrete output. Then track repeated enquiries, orders and returns separately over a comparable period. Consider visitor numbers too: fewer questions alone do not establish an improvement.

Example

Situation: A small business selling desk organisers repeatedly hears “Will my A4 folder fit?”, “When will it arrive?” and “Is delivery included?”

Read the full exampleShow less

The existing page only says “Organise your desk.” Customers cannot tell whether the product fits their needs. Small trial: The business chooses one product. It checks and lists the usable internal dimensions and identifies the folder size shown in the photo. It makes a delivery window it can substantiate and the shipping charge visible before ordering. It does not invent an exact delivery day. The first output is three clear answers customers can find on the page. Decision: Across two comparable weeks, the business reviews visits, repeated questions, completed orders and returns separately. It notes any changes to prices or advertising. If visits also fell, fewer questions alone do not establish improvement. Fewer questions at a similar visitor level may suggest the explanations helped; unchanged orders do not support a sales-growth claim. The team investigates the next uncertainty. This is a fictional trial, and two weeks is not a required duration; low traffic may need longer observation.

Evidence and limitations (2)

Eurostat — E-commerce statistics for individuals (2 June 2026 PDF version) ↗

Online buyers represented 62% of internet users in 2015 and 78% in 2025.

European Union · Individual online shopping · Internet users aged 16–74; national surveys, total sample not provided in this summary.

Annual household/individual survey, purchases over 12 months. Extracted February 2026; date denotes PDF version.

Source published: 2026-06-02 · Data period: 2015 — 2025 · Observed finding

US Census Bureau — Quarterly Retail E-Commerce, Q2 2026 ↗

E-commerce rose from 16.3% of sales in Q2 2025 to 17.1% in Q2 2026; latest period preliminary.

United States · Retail, excluding food services · About 10,800 retail firms representing businesses with paid employees.

Stratified random sample and administrative records; seasonal adjustment, no price adjustment.

Source published: 2026-08-18 · Data period: 2025-04 — 2026-06 · Observed finding

Uncertainties: The EU survey covers internet users aged 16–74; the US survey covers retailers with paid employees. People and sales shares are different measures. Country, product and business results can vary.

Türkiye interpretation (inference): Interpretation for Türkiye: answering repeated questions is testable; these sources do not promise a specific sales increase in Türkiye.

Last evidence check: 10/11/2026