61% of online shoppers more receptive to ads on shopping websites

New research from eBay Advertising reveals that 61% of online shoppers pay attention to ads when browsing retailers’ online shops, compared with just 13% who notice ads when using social networks.

The eBay study of more than 1,500 European consumers also found that 83% of UK consumers are spending more time searching and browsing for products and services online when compared with three months ago.

Reasons cited for the increase in time spent online by UK shoppers include researching the right item to buy before parting with their cash (32%); finding specific products and services more easily (29%); and getting a bigger choice of products (18%).

When asked what types of online advertising prompts them to part with their cash and make a purchase online, listings on search engines (38%) and display ads that appear on e-commerce sites when looking for items in a specific category (27%), scored most highly.

Just 7% of UK shoppers said that a video ad had prompted them to buy a product or service in the past six months.

Pop-up ads were the least popular type, with only 6% of shoppers admitting to have chosen a product or service to buy as a direct result of viewing this type of advertising.

Phillip Rinn, director of advertising partnerships for eBay UK and EMEA, said, “It makes sense to match the advertising on a site to complement the user experience. If someone is on Facebook, they’re probably not interested in going on to buy.”