Study examines Brits' e-commerce habits

Friday, July 27, 2012 - 10:06 by Simon Crisp

Japanese e-commerce giant, Rakuten, has this week published the findings of a study to look at the way European consumers, including those in the UK, conduct their online lives.

The retailer looked at large amounts of data to come to a number of conclusions, examining in particular the relationship between consumers' working lives and the way they use services that offer safe shopping online.

It found that more people turn to e-commerce sites after work on a Monday, than during any other time of the week. This is put down to the fact that many people are feeling a little down about having just started the working week again and use e-commerce to cheer themselves up.

This trend is at least an accurate reflection of the UK and also those in the US and Germany. Meanwhile in France, the fact that children finish school early results in a spike on this day of the week.

Commuters in the UK getting out their smartphones and tablets to carry out safe shopping online and enjoy general browsing features, cause the biggest rush on mobile networks during the morning, according to the study.

Meanwhile, the opposite is true in France, when the hour between six and seven in the evening is usually the busiest period for mobile network access.

Interestingly, the study suggests that when Brits are enjoying a spot of e-commerce, they tend to purchase on impulse, looking at fashion items and other clothing for just 40 seconds on average, before they commit to a purchase. Over in the US, the average browser will take up to four and a half minutes.

For slightly more expensive items, Brits might take just two minutes, perhaps when buying a new TV. This of course fails to take into account any time spent researching prior to purchase.