Israeli E-Commerce Habits Differ Sharply From Global Norms, Study Finds
New research from Wemanage, an Israeli e-commerce management firm, reveals unique purchasing patterns among Israeli online shoppers, contrasting significantly with global trends. Unlike in the US and Europe where Friday evenings are peak shopping times, Israelis predominantly shop on Monday mornings, with 10:00 AM being the busiest hour. The average transaction value is NIS 437, though the median is NIS 249, suggesting that free shipping thresholds set based on the average may be too high. The study recommends a threshold between NIS 280 and NIS 320. Contrary to the "salary effect" theory, data shows the period around the 10th of the month is weaker for sales, while the end of the month is stronger.
The research, based on data from hundreds of Israeli online stores, also highlights differences in online advertising. Clicks in Israel are 83% cheaper than the global average, at NIS 0.80, but click-through rates are nearly half. Furthermore, daily budgets are often misallocated, with Saturdays receiving similar budgets to weekdays but generating 42% higher cost-per-acquisition. The study analyzed 14,627 transactions from 93 stores, totaling NIS 6.39 million in revenue, and operational data from 239 sites over six years.
Beyond purchasing habits, the Wemanage studies delve into the operational aspects of running e-commerce sites in Israel. Effective site management involves an average of 7.9 software updates per month, significantly more than the industry standard, with 96% of tasks initiated by the site manager rather than the business owner. WhatsApp communication is extensive, with an average of 101 messages exchanged monthly between businesses and their site managers, and a median response time of 6.5 minutes, far exceeding typical industry ticket response times. The majority of site weight comes from images, with a significant portion not optimized for web use, and over half of the sites run on outdated PHP versions lacking security updates.
Additional findings indicate that 88% of stores in the sample use WooCommerce, and product uploads are the most frequent task. The research also touches on AI's growing role, noting that only 45% of tested sites passed all checks for AI search engine visibility, with many inadvertently blocking AI crawlers. The studies emphasize using median figures and providing sample sizes for all findings, ensuring data anonymity and transparency about the sample originating from professionally managed sites.