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Average UK consumer spends £3,370 online each year

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - 09:38 by Graham Miller

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A study, published by Internet Retailing earlier this week, suggests that a typical Brit will spend an average of £3,370 each year via safe shopping online.

This is yet further evidence that the e-commerce market is experiencing robust growth in the face of economic woes affecting other areas of the retail sector.

Sixty per cent of those questioned as part of the report said that they make online purchases at least three times each month, with 40 per cent participating in online transactions more than once every seven days.

The usual suspects, such as fashion and grocery items, proved to be some of the most popular purchases, while a 57 per cent slice of consumers have invested in books and associated literary items, which shows that safe shopping online is helping to support traditional media.

Interestingly, the report identified that although men are stereotypically averse to spending much time at high street shops, in the world of e-commerce they are far happier to browse and buy regularly over extended periods.

It is perhaps unsurprising that men spend more money online in most areas apart from fashion and clothing, whereas female shoppers typically splash twice as much cash as the average male. This type of information helps to drive the market forwards and allows retailers to respond to the needs of their customers.

Report spokesperson, Gabriel Hopkins, said that the growth of e-commerce and the changing landscape of retail in the UK would continue to be a source of interest for industry insiders and consumers alike.

He believes that the cultural shifts which are enacted by increased online shopping, could result in further mutations of typical basket values and the average annual amount which consumers are willing to spend via safe shopping online.