Britons prefer shopping online
More than 11 million Britons are now shopping online at least twice a week, with nearly half prepared to buy consumer electronics on the web, and 79% of those surveyed preferring online to in-store, according to a new online survey.
Commissioned to launch Shopzilla.co.uk’s first ever UK Circle of Excellence Awards, the UK-wide survey of 3,118 people shows that clothing, books, CDs and DVDs among consumer’s favourite items, while more than 1.3 million are logging on every day to purchase goods and services.
The nationwide study of Britain’s online shopping habits also shows that the British love affair with online shopping now even outstrips that of the US with around nine out of 10 of us shopping online at least once a month compared with around seven out of 10 Americans.
Worryingly for some retailers, people are enjoying their online shopping experience much more than scouring the high street. When scoring satisfaction from one to 10, 79% of shoppers give the online experience eight out of 10 or above, compared to just 27% for high street stores. Satisfaction with the customer service offered by online retailers is also significantly higher - 55% of shoppers give internet stores eight out of 10 or better compared with only 28% for their bricks and mortar counterparts.
Perhaps encouragingly for non-online retailers, only a third of those polled said they were planning to do the majority of their Christmas shopping online this year, while a further third plan to make around half of their purchases online. Of those polled, one in four said they had already started their Christmas shopping and the same number plan to start before the end of October.
And it should also be pointed out that the survey was taken online - so perhaps it is not quite so representative of UK buying trends as it thinks it is. Retailers, however, should still take note and do all they can to increase footfall in the run up to what’s looking like one of the toughest Christmases ever.
The survey goes on to suggest that Britons are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their online shopping habits with most of us willing to spend time surfing around for the best deals and services. More than 39% of those surveyed said they usually or always use price comparison sites to find goods, while 53% reckoned feedback on retailers from other consumers was influential (eight out of 10 score or above) in the final decision to purchase.
More than seven out of 10 Britons think the experience of shopping online is now ‘much better’ than it was five years ago and that advances in online security give shoppers peace of mind. However, it seems many are still not ready to buy certain goods online. More than half (54.7%) would still not consider buying a car online, while musical instruments and food and drink are still no go areas for three out of 10 and two out of 10 consumers respectively.
Meanwhile, the credit crunch looks set to trigger an even bigger stampede towards online shopping. More than half of shoppers polled said they were now more likely to hunt for a range of items online in a bid to save money. Clothing, entertainment products (CDs, DVDs etc.), electrical items, health and beauty products and items for the house and garden were among the favourite items for purchase online during these times of economic uncertainty.
Scott Macon, Managing Director for Shopzilla Europe, said: “This survey shows that Britons are among the world’s keenest online shoppers and that they are becoming more and more sophisticated. While price and convenience are still key motivators for shopping online, people also want to know more about the online retailers they are purchasing from.”
KEY FINDINGS:
What do you mostly buy online?
Entertainment (books, music, DVDs, CDs etc.)
68.4%
Apparel (clothes, shoes, jewellery etc.)
50.3%
Electronics (digital cameras, TVS, DVD players etc.)
45.8%
Computer Hardware
34.3%
Computer Software
32.4%
Office Supplies
32.4%
Health & Beauty products
31.1%
Food & Drink
29.7%
Toys & Video Games
29.1%
Gifts & Flowers
26.4%
