Shopping habits of men analysed

Monday, April 29, 2013 - 09:20 by Mike Price

<p>A new survey has looked at the way that men indulge in retail therapy and found that the vast majority prefer to buy products online, eschewing the high street in favour of the web.</p>

<p>Rakuten LinkShare published the results of the study last week, with 85 per cent of the male shoppers questioned saying that they would much rather use an e-commerce site to make a purchase, than head out to a bricks and mortar retailer.</p>

<p>Three quarters of respondents said that the main motivating factors behind their online shopping habits were the offer of free delivery from many retailers and the chance to save money by using vouchers and discount coupons.</p>

<p>Just eight per cent of those questioned said that they were still bigger fans of the high street, according to The Drum.</p>

<p>Twenty four per cent of the British men aged under 35 who participated in the study, said that they spent at least  900 each year on buying fashion products online.</p>

<p>This is approximate to about 83 per cent of the total average online spend, which means that a significant group of males like to use e-commerce sites to refill their wardrobes and little else.</p>

<p>Sixty one per cent of those questioned also said that they would be vexed should they find that a luxury retail brand of their choosing had not yet established its own online shopping outlet.</p>

<p>Twenty per cent of the under 35s said that they regularly visit high street shops, solely to look at products in person before buying them online later, which is a practice known as 'showrooming,' about which some retailers are concerned.</p>

<p>In spite of the eagerness that British men exhibit when it comes to online shopping, 48 per cent said that they were often confounded by the sheer amount of choice available via e-commerce.</p>