Online Shopping Remains A Minority Activity, Says EU Report
Only 35% of internet users in the European Union have purchased products or services online for personal use according to a new report on eMarketer.
Data collected by EOS Gallup Europe for the European Commission reveals that internet shopping habits have changed little in the past year and only 4% of respondents admitted to being frequent online buyers. Almost two-thirds of EU internet users have never bought goods or services from websites.
| Frequency Of Online Purchases In The EU (% Of Internet Users) | ||
| Junep 2001 | Junep 2002 | |
| Frequently | 4 | 4 |
| Occasionally | 15 | 16 |
| Rarely | 15 | 15 |
| I did but never again | 1 | 1 |
| Never | 66 | 63 |
| Source: eMarketer, September 2002 | ||
UK citizens are the most enthusiastic internet shoppers in the EU with around 55% of users claiming to have made an online purchase. In every other EU state, less than half of web users reported that they have paid for products or services over the internet.
On average, only a fifth of internet users in the fifteen member states are frequent or occasional online buyers. In the UK, 37% of web users fall into this category but internet shopping remains unpopular in the rest of Europe, particularly the Mediterranean region.
