Internet comparison shopping increases

The survey revealed:

Results

• 30% of South African Internet users' average household income is R10 000 or less
• 82% turn to the Internet for information first when considering a purchase
• 85% find that the information on the net is more reliable than advice in traditional media or from sales assistants
• 43% have shopped online in the past three months
• 42% trust online reviews from other users above any other form of recommendation

Purchases

• flights 28%
• Books 23%
• electronics such as TVs and music players 22%
• appliances 19%
• computers 18%
• DVDs, music and video games 10%
• 36% spent between R400 to R5000
• 7% spent more than R5000

Kevin Tucker, founder and manager of PriceCheck says, "It makes sense that the Internet is where shoppers would go when considering a purchase, to read reviews and find the best deals. The Internet has made shopping hassle-free. Trusted sites such as ours, which provide comparisons on millions of products from hundreds of different trusted online stores, empower cash tight and time strapped consumers."

The online comparison market has the potential to be big business in South Africa. According to the BBC, the comparison market in the UK is reported to be worth more than £1 billion a year.

"While we have seen positive growth within the top 10 merchants on PriceCheck, five of the top 10 merchants have increased their traffic referred by PriceCheck by more than 20% from January through to October this year," he concludes.

The new look website also introduces a social aspect by allowing users to login with their Facebook account, become fans of products and recommend pages to friends.

View the full PriceCheck Consumer Shopping Trends Survey 2010.