Web search activity 'infiltrates high street shopping'

26th March 2008

People are using the internet to enhance their shopping experience even when they make their final purchase on the high street, new research has shown.

An investigation by Krillion and the e-tailing group discovered that the internet plays a crucial role in the e-commerce process, despite the location of the ultimate transaction.

"Consumers are actively gathering detailed product information, insight from other shoppers and third-party validation from multiple sources - regardless of where they end up consummating the final purchase," explained Sherry Thomas-Zon, vice-president of marketing at Krillion.

Data from the study indicated that 67 per cent of savvy online shoppers spend more than 30 per cent of their total shopping time on the web.

The report isolated a specific group, known as "web-informed buyers", which spends more than 50 per cent of total purchase time research items in cyberspace.

Some 60 per cent of such users had paid for an item online and picked it up in-store, compared to a corresponding figure of 50 per cent for shoppers overall.

The report has been released after an article in E-consultancy claimed Tesco should give customers the chance to email queries on its website for greater e-commerce success.