Internet 'attractive' to bargain-hunting Britons

26th September 2008

The web is proving to be an increasingly attractive resource for British consumers looking to save money in the face of the current economic crisis.

This is according to a set of new statistics released by Hitwise, which show that visits to price comparison websites have shot up in the last year, while searches for online sales and voucher websites have also risen considerably.

"This is the first real economic downturn to have occurred during the internet age, and Hitwise data provides some fascinating insights into how people are reacting," remarked Robin Goad, Hitwise UK research director.

The figures link in with previous research released by Nielsen Online showing that money-saving sites became more popular among UK web users as the credit crunch intensified between June 2007 and 2008.

Hitwise has also previously revealed that the tightening housing market has led to an influx of visitors to home and garden retail sites as property owners seek to improve rather than move.