A recent study from Google and Temkin Group has found that consumers are more likely to purchase a product online if it promises to be digitally delivered.
This shift in consumer behavior is happening for two reasons: the convenience of having an item delivered instantly and the ability to try out products without ever having to leave their homes.
This has led to the increased popularity of e-commerce sites like Amazon.com, which currently accounts for nearly 50% of all online sales in the United States.
Here’s a fascinating peek at what consumers have been buying a lot of this year.
Health and Wellness Products
The top digital products that consumers buy online are health and wellness products. Americans’ changing lifestyles have contributed to this trend. People are increasingly interested in living an active, healthy lifestyle, whether it is through exercising or eating more nutritious foods.
The products they buy online can include fitness trackers, televisions with access to exercise videos, or apps that help them track their activity.
Indoor Exercise Equipment
For example, some of the most popular digital products purchased online in 2021 are exercise equipment for use at home. Gym memberships have become too expensive for many Americans, which has led to more people working out at home.
Consumers can choose from an up-and-down stair stepper, a bench press, or an elliptical machine. These are especially popular during the winter months when customers want to work out but are unwilling to brave the cold weather.
Sleep and Relaxation Products
From yoga mats to scented candles, consumers are increasingly purchasing relaxation and sleep products online.
Customers who use these products may stress out easily, either because of work or their children. They want to avoid the hassle of going to a store and having to choose from an expansive line of items, so they turn to e-commerce sites such as Amazon that allow them to purchase these items without any difficulty.
Besides candles, people also bought essential oil diffusers and fans that keep the undersheets and mattresses cool. This way, they won’t feel hot during the summer and be able to sleep without interruption.
Sports and Fitness Clothing
Another category of digital products that consumers bought online in 2021 is sports and fitness clothing. Although people may be more interested in purchasing exercise equipment, the popularity of yoga pants has not wavered since 2016.
There are now entire brands devoted to making leggings and yoga pants that are fashionable but functional.
For example, some people prefer a pair of tracksuit leggings or yoga pants for post-workout errands, and they may even wear them out on the weekends to lounge around in.
Smartwatches and Virtual Reality Headsets
Finally, smartwatches and virtual reality headsets are the latest technological devices to hit the consumer market. In 2021, many people acquired smartwatches that can be used in conjunction with their smartphones.
They can even use it to explore virtual reality worlds. People have been purchasing these products because they are interactive, resonating well with today’s younger generation of consumers.
They like the fact that they can watch movies and play games and interact with these products in a whole new way.
Virtual reality has become popular enough to warrant several dedicated homepages on e-commerce sites. Customers would select virtual reality headsets and then be taken to a page where they could choose from different types of goggles and earphones to use with them.
Entertainment and Education Products
Entertainment and education products were among the top digital products purchased in 2021. People want to stay entertained and educated, so they look to buy these items online.
For entertainment, customers turn to streaming services like Netflix and Hulu to stream their favorite TV shows and movies directly onto their TV or computer.
For educational purposes, people are increasingly looking toward online courses in both paid and free self-learning resources. They want to keep themselves educated, so they can compete with their peers in today’s job market.
Home-Made Food Items
Finally, homemade food items are among the top products purchased online in 2021. One of the biggest trends in recent years has been cooking at home.
People who work hard throughout the week don’t have time to go to a restaurant or grocery store. They would rather stay at home and purchase pre-made food items online to save money and reduce time spent in the kitchen.
The homemade aspect of these products is what makes them so popular. People prefer to cook from scratch, so they are willing to pay a little more to have someone else prepare their meals for them.
This saves them money and allows them to be creative and imaginative with the ingredients.
As technology continues to advance and new products are introduced, it will be interesting to see what types of digital goods become mainstream in the years to come. What was once a niche market is slowly becoming more widespread as people realize the benefits of purchasing these items online.
