Channel Islands and Isle of Man residents love online shopping

Wednesday, June 11, 2014 - 09:52 by Sarah Collinson

A new survey has found that people living on the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are big fans of safe shopping online, with average household expenditures on e-commerce in these areas now hitting £7,000, according to IOM Today.

This figure was published as part of a survey conducted by Island Analysis, in which almost 1,700 people participated. Between all of these communities, the total annual spend hit ?632 million last year, with safe shopping online appealing to islanders for a number of reasons.

Convenience was unsurprisingly listed as the top benefit, along with price. But for people living in more isolated parts of the world, choice is also an important thing to consider when shopping online.

It is impractical for retailers on island communities to stock every product that locals might potentially want, so being able to order in almost anything from the web helps to overcome this issue.

In the past year, two thirds of the respondents to the study said that they had significantly increased the amount of cash they spent via safe shopping online. Meanwhile, around a third said that they regularly shop on the web after having been to a bricks and mortar store to check it out in person.

This practice of showrooming may be damaging the high street in some parts of the country, but retailers are beginning to adapt to this reality and find ways to make sure that real world stores remain relevant. Click and collect services are a particularly effective way of justifying a sustained presence on the high street without alienating consumers who want to shop online.

Amongst islanders, the most popular product categories included clothing and footwear, while half of those questioned said that they use discount codes and offers through group buying sites.