Brits buy weird products online

Wednesday, August 7, 2013 - 14:34 by Graham Miller

A study has revealed the extent to which the internet has made it easier for UK consumers to purchase strange items that they might not otherwise have acquired.

The Daily Mail reports that the Barclaycard survey found that close to a third of Brits have spent money on something via safe shopping online that would not normally be on their list of must-buys.

This includes everything from novelty leggings to ballet tutus and shows that the web can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to unusual impulse purchases.

Some 66 per cent of those questioned said that they had bought at least one item of clothing or other fashion product in the past 12 months which did not live up to expectations.

This shows that consumers are more willing to take risks on buying items which they might turn their noses up at in bricks and mortar outlets.

A total of 44 per cent revealed that they buy clothes in brighter hues when shopping online, with the statistics showing that female shoppers are a bit more susceptible to this kind of habit than their male counterparts.

The average e-commerce user can be expected to own about eight left-of-field fashion items which have been purchased online, according to the report.

This is good news for retailers, of course, while the warm weather experienced over the last month has helped to boost online clothing sales by 28 per cent year on year.

Some 40 per cent of people now shop for clothes at least once every seven days, with the web encouraging even more purchases to be made.

The wide availability of fashion advice and media content is also helping people to keep their fingers on the pulse of this industry, with 44 per cent saying that they feel like they are in control of their style choices when using e-commerce sites.