Incentivised online shopping entices consumers

Thursday, October 14, 2010 - 15:58 by Mike Price

Two thousand people were surveyed by Immediate Future. More than 60 per cent of respondents said that they would choose to use an e-commerce firm that offered incentives for providing feedback, over one which did not.

The survey found that despite the potential for implicit bias in reviews written in the quest for a reward, around a third of UK consumers would still take onboard a positive recommendation from an incentivised site - almost exactly the same as those who would adhere to user comments from a site not offering rewards for reviews and safe shopping online.

Significantly, only a small proportion of respondents would actually seek remuneration for providing reviews, with 82 per cent instead seeking bonuses or other rewards. Product testing and personal shopping periods were also high on the list of incentives which would entice users over to an online retailer.

Fifty-three per cent of respondents said that they had posted a comment or review on a product they had purchased within the past 30 days. The authors of the survey concluded that so-called 'social shopping' is becoming a far bigger aspect of UK e-commerce.

The survey also found that the number of people who write online reviews after shopping online is identical to the number who talk about their recent purchase with friends and family in person.

Immediate Future's Adam Lewis, explained that social shoppers are keen to talk about their experiences of retail both online and off, creating widespread discourse and allowing e-commerce firms to better target their products.