Over half of European consumers shun online shopping

Monday, April 14, 2014 - 17:49 by Sarah Collinson

A new report published this week by Forrester, has revealed that around 55 per cent of European citizens are still not regularly shopping online, which is an intriguing fact to consider when taken alongside the persistent annual growth experienced by the e-commerce market.

A quarter of respondents to the study said that they regularly carry out research online before investing in products, although they may still choose to go through with transactions on the high street, rather than choosing a digital retail channel.

Just four per cent said that they regularly shop using portable devices, such as smartphones and tablets, while roughly 15 per cent consider themselves to be top tier users of safe shopping online, deciding to use the web to make purchases frequently.

Of course, the UK was once again leading the pack when it comes to e-commerce adoption, with more consumers choosing to buy online here than in any other European nation, according to report spokesperson, Michelle Besson.

Interestingly, the study also identified a group of so-called 'supershoppers' comprised of consumers who indulge in multiplatform retail as broadly as possible, shopping both online and in store without seeing the divisions between the two worlds as being so distinct.

Besson said that European supershoppers are smaller in number than in the US, where about a quarter of all consumers fall into this category. And in fact analysts predict that this segment will only grow over time, making it important for retailers to create compelling multichannel offerings.

Consumers are looking for a consistent experience, whether they choose to shop online or head to a bricks and mortar outlet, according to Internet Retailing. So this is another area in which businesses will need to work hard over the coming years.