The British love affair with online shopping now even outstrips that of the US with around nine out of 10 British consumers shopping online at least once a month compared with around seven out of 10 Americans.

The nationwide study of Britain’s online shopping habits by leading price comparison site Shopzilla.co.uk commissioned to launch Shopzilla.co.uk’s first ever UK Circle of Excellence Awards shows that:

* The British love affair with online shopping now even outstrips that of the US with around nine out of 10 British consumers shopping online at least once a month compared with around seven out of 10 Americans.

* More than 11 million Britons are now shopping online at least twice a week, while more than 1.3 million are logging on every day to purchase goods and services.

* The poll of more than 3,000 Brits shows that being able to shop any time of the day or night, price and convenience are the biggest motivations for shopping online.

* More than 39% of those surveyed said they usually or always use price comparison sites to find goods.

* When scoring satisfaction from one to 10, 79% of shoppers gave the online experience eight out of 10 or above, compared to just 27% for high street stores.

* Satisfaction with the customer service offered by online retailers is also significantly higher – 55% of shoppers gave internet stores eight out of 10 or better compared with only 28% for their bricks and mortar counterparts.

* More than seven out of 10 Britons think the experience of shopping online is now ‘much better’ than it was five years ago and that advances in online security give shoppers peace of mind.

* Clothing, entertainment products (CDs, DVDs etc.), electrical items, health and beauty products and items for the house and garden were among favorite online purchases.

* However, more than half (54.7%) would still not consider buying a car online, while musical instruments and , food and drink are still no-go areas for three out of 10 and two out of 10 consumers respectively.

* The credit crunch looks set to trigger an even bigger rise in online shopping. More than half of shoppers polled said they were now more likely to hunt for a range of items online in a bid to save money.

Key Regional Findings:

* NORTHERN IRISH and SCOTS are the most avid online shoppers – almost one out of three people from Northern Ireland shop online either every day or up to three times a week, as do one in four Scots.

* Residents in YORKSHIRE & HUMBERSIDE are the biggest bargain hunters – nearly half use a price comparison site either always or nearly always when shopping online.

* Entertainment lovers from the NORTH WEST mostly buy books, CDs and DVDs online.

* SOUTH EASTERNERS are most likely to take advantage of being able to shop online 24/7 (seven out of 10).

* Online shoppers from the MIDLANDS and NORTHERN IRELAND greatly value feedback on retailers from other users – and are the most avid retailer reviewers.

* NORTH EASTERNERS are the earliest Christmas shoppers – two out of five have already started

From the Director’s Desk:
Scott Macon, Managing Director for Shopzilla Europe, said: “This survey shows that Britons are among the world’s keenest online shoppers and that they are becoming more and more sophisticated. While price and convenience are still key motivators for shopping online, people also want to know more about the online retailers they are purchasing from.”

“Web shoppers in the UK are savvy and although this research shows they are enjoying the online shopping experience, it is clear they will not put up with poor website performance and after-sales service.”

“That is why we want to reward those retailers committed to providing service excellence through our first our first UK Circle of Excellence Awards on October 9th.”