Online product research by consumers is a key factor in their offline purchasing decisions, according to a report from Forrester Research.
Half of all Europeans buy products offline after having researched them online, whilst only 42% buy via the web. This trend is most evident in southern European countries like Italy and Spain, where Net-influenced offline purchases are twice as frequent as online purchases.
The UK leads the way in terms internet shopping, with 62% of the online population having bought goods or services via the web. This is considerably higher than the European average of 42%.
European Internet Usage Patterns | ||||||
Online | Research Online* | Shop Online* | ||||
Q2 2002 | Q2 2003 | Q2 2002 | Q2 2003 | Q2 2002 | Q2 2003 | |
Sweden | 71% | 73% | 87% | 93% | 40% | 48% |
Netherlands | 63% | 71% | 81% | 94% | 31% | 40% |
Germany | 53% | 55% | 82% | 90% | 48% | 55% |
UK | 55% | 57% | 85% | 89% | 54% | 62% |
Italy | 42% | 45% | 67% | 76% | 14% | 17% |
France | 35% | 40% | 71% | 82% | 27% | 33% |
Spain | 24% | 28% | 78% | 89% | 15% | 16% |
Europe | 46% | 49% | 78% | 86% | 37% | 42% |
Source: Forrester Research, January 2004 |