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Study finds affluence disinclined consumers towards e-commerce

Tuesday, January 15, 2013 - 12:19 by Simon Crisp

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A new report has looked at how consumers respond to shopping online and what makes people choose the web over the high street or other forms of retail.

Conducted by TNS Emnid, the survey took answers from over a thousand British consumers and found that 47 per cent of respondents had experienced poor service at some point while using e-commerce sites.

Twenty per cent said that they had been afflicted by an instance of late delivery, with a product not arriving on the originally proposed date.

When asked if they would be willing to spend a little more money to get insurance or guarantees of good service for safe shopping online, 50 per cent of those questioned said that paying more for a better experience would be something that they would readily consider.

The report found that in more affluent households, with annual incomes of around 40,000 or more, people are 15 per cent more likely to state that they have encountered issues when using sites purporting to offer safe shopping online.

Analysts believe that consumers from less well heeled households are more willing to put up with the foibles of e-commerce companies, such as late delivery.

Thirty two per cent of respondents said that they often choose to invest in the express delivery options made available by many online shops, which means that there is an added level of certainty about the speed with which a product will arrive and the time period during which it can be expected.

While many people use the web to search for bargains that cannot be found on the high street, it is unsurprisingly obvious that those with more disposable income will be happier to splash out a bit more, if it means that their e-commerce experience is as hassle-free as possible.