Twenty Percent of Brits now spend more via the web

Friday, August 30, 2013 - 10:59 by Simon Crisp

A new study has found that a fifth of consumers in the UK make more purchases via safe shopping online than they do from bricks and mortar outlets.

The Rakuten report posed questions to 5,000 shoppers and found that a growing number of us prefer to harness e-commerce sites for most of our retail needs, which is unsurprising, given the growth of the market and the convenience it offers.

A quarter of those questioned said that they not only used the web to shop solo, but would also pass on information and recommendations about certain products via social media services, such as Facebook and Twitter.

This means that consumers are becoming increasingly influential and can encourage friends and family members to buy products through safe shopping online.

This infectious habit-forming trend makes people more likely to part with cash on the web and further diminishes the role of the high street.

Sixty six percent of respondents said that they now buy fashion items online, while other top selling categories include home entertainment and media.

The study found that there is still a reluctance amongst those in the UK to buy larger appliances online, with many preferring to get up close and personal with products in-store before committing to a purchase.

Of course, this approach is fuelling the practice of show-rooming, where buyers will visit a high street chain to check out a product and then buy it from an online retailer at a lower price.

Consumers said that they liked the wide variety of items that are available to buy, as well as the ease with which they can be found online.

If high street outlets can offer more options, then they might stand a chance of avoiding the erosion of sales from e-commerce activities.