Research launched today by Gomez reveals that nearly two out of three shoppers will spend more online than on the high-street this Christmas. The study also found that people who shop online in the UK are extremely impatient.

40% of those surveyed said they would only wait for a mere 20 seconds if a Web site was being slow, before switching to a different site. This could equal a loss of up to £200 per online shopper throughout the festive season, which, for sites fielding thousands of customers a day - could take away a huge percentage of profit margins.

The other key findings from the research show that the older a consumer is, the more patient they become - only 39% of under 35 year olds would wait a minute or more if a Web site was underperforming before moving on to another site, compared to 47% of over 55s. Also, women are more likely than men to buy clothes online (17% compared to 25%), perhaps because they’ve already shopped around and know what they want, and the older a person becomes, the more likely they are to buy food and drink online.

A greater number of men than women will spend more online than on the high-street (63% of men, compared to 58% of women), and the younger a person is, the more they will spend more online than on the high-street (64% of under 35s will, compared to 55% of over 55s).

This research proves the importance of Web site performance not only to online sales figures, but also to brand reputation. This reputation has a long term effect on a brand, as people will spread the news of their bad experiences - creating mass customer flight, resulting in years of lost sales.

People shop online because it’s easier and they want to avoid the crowds. However, 25% of people surveyed keep their bank balance in mind and shop online simply because it's cheaper. Men and women are equally likely to shop online, but men tend to splash out and spend more than their female counterparts - 13% of men will spend £400 plus online this Christmas.

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BIOS, Dec 15, 06 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Internet