Women could be more likely to embrace online shopping than their men, a new report suggests.
The Future of Online Retail report from Vouchercodes.co.uk suggests that women are more likely to have bought a wide variety of items online in the past – and are more open to buying new things in the future.
When researchers asked men and women what items, including clothes, groceries, furniture, holidays and electronics, they had never bought online 1 in 5 women (19%) said they had bought all of these products online at some point. That was true for 13% of men.
Some 19% of women said they had never bought clothes online, compared to 27% of men. And 50% of women say that in the future they will buy clothes, beauty products, holidays, furniture, entertainment, electronics and groceries. But only 42% of men agree.
Nearly half of UK consumers have never bought furniture (48%), groceries (45%) or health and beauty products (44%) online. However, 86% of consumers have bought entertainment products such as DVDs and CDs over the internet.
The research also examined what consumers saw as the biggest barriers to buying online. Some 40% said they want to see the physical object before purchasing it, making this the biggest barrier to ecommerce. The second biggest issue was a lack of information about items, which 33% cited as an issue.
Max Jennings, co-founder of VoucherCodes.co.uk said:“The Future of Online Retail shows that women in particular have embraced online retail and are more inclined to make purchases across a large range of product categories. Whilst male shoppers have traditionally been considered the early adopters of ecommerce, it is clear women have very much embraced online shopping and are keen to take advantage of solutions such as apps that offer targeted rewards and discounts.
“The fact so many consumers still feel uncomfortable transacting online highlights the huge job retailers have on their hands when it comes to changing consumers’ behavior. However, as brands continue to invest in smart online and multichannel solutions, transactional barriers such as lack of information and the need to physically see an object will continue to be eroded.”
The Future of Online Retail Report was carried out between October 12 and 15 and asked 2,001 UK adults about their online shopping habits.
