E-commerce Preferred By Over 60% of Consumers
Nowadays it is in consumers’ power to look for time and money-saving methods to do their shopping and it seems natural that they go online to buy products instead of going to physical stores.
According to the results of a survey I saw this morning, shoppers around the UK no longer consider the local high street their top destination for purchases. Still, it does remain the place where you can feel the charm of shopping and get purchase advice in person.
The High Street 2012 survey, commissioned by online retail community MyHigh.St and carried out by OnePoll, gauges the buying habits of 2,000 UK consumers. The study found that 67% of shoppers would rather make their purchases online as it saves time, while 40% of them believe that the Internet offers better deals. The majority of consumers now prefer to order products online or visit shopping centres outside their area instead of going to high street stores.
Among the negative aspects of high street shopping are said to be costly or difficult parking, limited choice and short opening hours. However, people prefer to go to the high street when they need the services of banks and building societies, post offices and pharmacies. When time is not a crucial factor, 29% of the respondents like to visit the high street to do their shopping, 28% still prefer to order on the Internet and 24% would go to shopping centres.
According to MyHigh.St co-founder Loaye Agabani, reaping the benefits of both high street and online shopping is what makes consumers fully satisfied.