Savvy UK Shoppers do their Homework to Stretch the Family Budget Further

LONDON, 13 October 2011 - New data from Kantar Media Compete's Online Shopper Intelligence report shows that in the last quarter (July-September 2011) 40 percent of online shoppers in the UK made an online purchase at least once a week.  The average three month spend online is dominated by grocery, furniture and electronics purchases. 

In the last quarter, the UK public spent on average online:

Question: Approximately how much money have you spent on the following retail products online in the past 3 months?

Source: Kantar Media Compete UK Shopper Intelligence Survey(Q3, 2011)

Sixty-nine percent of online shoppers indicate that they research a particular product in a shop before purchasing, but 67 percent will buy the product online because they believe that they get better prices.  Over half also appreciate the flexibility and convenience of 24 hour shopping on e-commerce sites. 

John Thekanady, Client Services Director, Kantar Media Compete UK stated: "While the cost of living is increasing year-on-year, it is no surprise that many consumers are choosing to research carefully where the best savings can be made.  If that means visiting a shop to research a product, but then purchasing it online to save money, then it shows that UK shoppers are becoming savvier, perhaps out of necessity."

Further proof of savvy shopping is that Ebay is the second most popular retail site by percentage of visitors.

In the last quarter, the top five retail sites visited by online shoppers in the UK were:

• Amazon.co.uk: 63%
• Ebay.co.uk: 58%
• Tesco.com: 34%
• Argos.co.uk: 30%
• Asda.com: 19%

"It is invaluable for marketers to know that the majority of shoppers are likely to research purchases online and/or offline prior to buying, regardless of where the final purchase takes place.  This requires that brands have integrated offline and online strategies to maintain relevance with consumers or they could lose out on vital sales," said John Thekanady, Client Services Director, Kantar Media Compete.

Online Shopper Intelligence research methodology

Kantar Media Compete carried out research into the habits of the UK online shopper population.   The results were derived from Kantar Media Compete's Online Shopper Intelligence study of 1500 respondents and its behavioural data of the same consumers to provide a snapshot of UK online shoppers, their behaviours and motivations.  The Kantar Media Compete Online Shopper Intelligence report will be available each quarter.  This is the first report for the UK market. Comparative data will be available from Q4.  More information on Kantar Media Compete can be found at www.kantarmedia.compete.com