Survey: 89% of consumers prefer online shopping

A recent survey from online retailer Safe Home Products sheds a little light on the increase in online shopping this holiday season. According to survey respondents 89% prefer online shopping over in-store shopping.

by Kristina Knight

"It's the fact that you can research the products that are available," said Barbara Staib, president of Safe Home Products. "91% of those polled that said they use online shopping for research purposes."

This is part two of the "Holiday Shopping: How Consumers Are Spending This Year" survey from Safe Home Products.

Hard-to-find products also lead consumers online. 77% of those surveyed said the shop online to purchase products that cannot be found in their local area.

What are consumers looking for a good etailing hub? Searchability is key, according to Staib. Rather than simply offering the product information, etailers need to include alternate names for products. For example, rather than calling a "blood pressure monitor" only by that name, etailers should include alternate titles so that consumers can easily find the product using other monikers.

Another addition to many retailer websites is a social aspect. Using consumer shopping engines or on-site sections with consumer reviews is a good idea according to Staib, who has found with her own hub that products are being recommended from local stores, gas or electric companies and pharmacies. These brick-and-mortar stores may not have the selection an online store can have, and once they know of a sturdy online hub that clients can frequent they will recommend that website.