High street and online shopping are intrinsically linked, report finds

Friday, October 24, 2014 - 13:43 by Graham Miller

A new study, published by Geometry Global, has revealed that although shopping on the high street and safe shopping online are often seen as two competing arenas in the retail market, the reality is that consumers are still relying on both to help them come to a buying decision, according to The Drum.

Two thirds of the people questioned in the report said that before they make any kind of online purchase, they head to a bricks and mortar outlet to make a choice over the type of product they want to buy.

When asked about why they still use the high street, almost nine out of ten respondents said that they prefer to get first hand, physical contact with a particular item before committing to a purchase, which is something that the world of e-commerce still cannot offer in its current form.

Sixty five per cent said that they also like to head to the high street to check up on the prices of various products, in spite of the fact that making this kind of comparison can be carried out in seconds, via safe shopping online.

The number of people who buy online on an almost daily basis has only hit seven per cent according to the latest report, rising from five per cent in the past three years. So, for many consumers, the immediacy of real world retail remains a big draw, while shopping online is carried out when they are happy to wait a day or two for delivery.

A spokesperson for the report said that other issues, such as security and the convenience of payment, were preventing more people from using the web to shop, although many are overcoming some of these issues and combining real world retail and e-commerce, thanks to smartphones and tablets.