Future Of Online Shopping Is ‘Rosy’, Says Report
Almost half of all UK internet users, some 9 million people, made an online purchase during 2001, according to the Which? Online annual internet survey (See One-Third Of The UK Now Online).
The Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) is equally bullish about the e-retail market, claiming that the UK is responsible for a third of all sales in Europe. It estimates that spending for 2002 will top £7 billion, equivalent to nearly 4% of the total retail market.
Not surprisingly, proficient and regular surfers tend to be much more likely to have made an online purchase than other net users. Which findings show that almost two-thirds of individuals with more than three years experience of the web have bought products from a site, compared with just a quarter who were new to the net last year. Similarly, seven in ten high-level users (10+ hours per week) have shopped online.
The rise in the number of internet shoppers has had little effect on the type of products most commonly bought with books, music and travel tickets still the most popular online purchases.
