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April 15 2008
More users shopping online
Global Nielsen’s consumer report on trends in online shopping shows consumers across the globe are increasingly swapping stores for clicks
According to a recent global survey conducted by The Nielsen Company, over 85 percent of the world’s online population has used the Internet to make a purchase, up 40 percent from two years ago, and more than half of Internet users are regular online shoppers, making online purchases at least once a month. Surprisingly Europe is ahead of the USA, with more than 93% purchasing over the internet, compared to 92% in the US.
When The Nielsen Company conducted its first survey into online shopping habits two years ago, only 10 percent of the world’s online population (627 million) had made a purchase over the Internet. Within two years, this number has surged by approximately 40 percent – to 875 million.
The Nielsen survey conducted from October to November 2007 and polled Internet users in 48 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and the Middle East.
International, Nielsen Online said “The Internet is no longer a niche technology – it is mass media and an utterly integral part of modern life. As our lives become more fractured and cluttered, it isn’t surprising that consumers turn to the unrivalled convenience of the Internet when it comes to researching and buying products.”The world’s most avid Internet shoppers hail from South Korea – 99 percent of Internet users in South Korea have shopped online. German, UK and Japanese consumers come in a close second. US consumers are slightly more recalcitrant, clocking in at number eight.
The world’s most frequent online shoppers also come from South Korea, where 79 percent of Internet users have made a purchase online in the last month. UK shoppers chase them once again, followed by the Swiss.
Books are still the most popular purchases online, followed by Clothing/Accessories/Shoes, Videos / DVDs / Games, Airline Tickets and Electronic Equipment. Other significant growth categories were cosmetics/nutrition supplies and groceries, which jumped nine and eight percentage points respectively.
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