Consumers 'becoming more informed' over online shopping

8th July 2008

Web users are getting savvier when it comes to online shopping recommendations, according to a new study.

Conducted by Avail Intelligence, the research suggested that many music fans are increasingly looking to online music shops and social networking websites for advice on which albums to buy, vnunet.com reports.

The company's chief executive, Dr Rold Elmer, remarked that this showed consumers are becoming more informed about making online purchases and as a result e-retailers should do more to make web-based shopping more personalised.

He said: "Retailers need a robust e-commerce strategy that incorporates social merchandising techniques if they are to take advantage of the interplay among shoppers and increase average basket spend."

Darrell MacMullin of PayPal recently told Globetechnology.com that some of the most common reasons for the abandonment of online shopping baskets by consumers include a lack of trust in the retailer and overly long registration processes.