Online shopping soars

Source: Exec Digital UK

Date :01/10/2008 09:31:58

According to a recent survey by Shopzilla, over 11 million Britons shop online twice a week.

UK usage of online retailers even outstrips that of the US per capita, with nine out of ten British people shopping online once a month, compared to seven out of ten in America.

Shoppers said they were more satisfied with shopping online – 55 percent rated their experience eight or more on a scale of one to 10, compared to just 28 percent for high street shops.

According to the poll of 3,000 people, the main draws were the ability to shop at any time, convenience, and low prices. With online retailers not having to pay for the overheads of bricks-and-mortar shops, the prices can often be far lower than those of high street shops.

The most popular items to buy online were entertainment items such as books, DVDs and CDs, which 68.4 percent said they bought the most. However, some items remained off limits; over half of those surveyed said they would not consider buying a car online, while items such as food and drink and musical instruments were areas that over 20 percent of consumers said they would not even consider buying online.

With many households’ finances squeezed, more and more shoppers are going online to save money with 39 percent of respondents saying they usually use price comparison websites to get the best price. Fifty three percent said that user feedback was influential in their choice of retailer. Over a third of respondents said they planned to do the majority of their Christmas shopping online.