Younger online shoppers in the UK are twice as likely to abandon their shopping baskets in theinternet as people aged 35 or older, a recent study commissioned by Royal Mail revealed.
According to the survey that looks into the behaviour of UK online shoppers, price savvy 16-24year-olds looking for deals over the internet are the most difficult age group to convert fromonline browsers to buyers. More than half (54%) of them have frequently pulled out of an onlinepurchase after filling their online shopping baskets with goods, the study results showed. The mostcommon reason for doing so is that they had found a better deal elsewhere, 43% of the respondentssaid.
What is striking is that women are 33% more likely to frequently empty their shopping basketsthan men. The survey found that 36% of women frequently abandon their shopping basket compared to27% of men. Among the reasons for this indecisive behaviour, women indicated that they were justbrowsing or got cold feet after seeing the total cost of the purchase. In 2013, the ‘gender gap’ inthe amount of money being spent online widened as men continue to buy bigger-ticket items, thestudy explained.
It revealed that while women outstripped men on the percentage of purchases between £21 and£200, men are more likely to spend more than £200 in one online shopping trip, Royal Mail said.Over the course of three months, men spent £333 on average – £76 more than women, the studyfound.
Nick Landon, Managing Director of Royal Mail Parcels, said: “Royal Mail’s study shows thatonline shoppers are very savvy and consider a number of factors before committing to a purchase. Itis important that e-retailers understand the needs of different types of customers if they want toconvert browsing into hard sales.”
The research was conducted by Hall & Partners, an independent research company, on behalf ofRoyal Mail with 1053 online interviews conducted between 3 and 10 April 2013.
