London’s high streets are likely to be a little quieter in the build up to Christmas, as more consumers are choosing to do their shopping online.
Almost a third of people in London say they expect to increase the amount of money they spend online in the next 12 months, new research suggests.
Data, collected by shopping reward portal Mutual Points, found that 44% of Londoners say they would be spending less on the high street as a result of going online to make purchases.
According to Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), British shoppers spent £13.5bn online in the first half of 2006 – 40% more than last year.
Meanwhile, researching online then buying online was the most popular shopping method, with 80% of consumers buying this way.
This compares to half of the total sample who said they often researched products online then went to buy them in the shops.
More than a fifth of the UK’s consumers shop online every week and 41% of people buy products from the web once a month.
Stephan Tate, European marketing director for MutualPoints.com, said: “The abundance of excellent deals available on the web is obviously helping the shift from high street shopping to purchasing online; integrating online shopping much more deeply into UK consumers' lives.”
© Crimson Business Ltd 2006
