What Else Can I Buy Online?

At a time of usage consolidation on most levels, British online shoppers are filling their virtual baskets with an increasingly broad range of goods, according to a new survey from NOP World.

The Internet User Profile Survey records a 42% year-on-year increase in the number of British adults who shopped online in the four weeks of June (4.8 million adults in June 2001 - up from 3.37 million in June 2000). Convenience, price and the ability to save time were seen as they key driver for the channel

While the traditional "pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap" products, such as books and CDs nestle prominently in most online shopping baskets, the real growth comes from products perhaps less well associated with Internet shopping, such as toys, electrical goods and, especially, clothes.

The number of shoppers buying clothes online grew by 83% in the period June 2000 to June 2001, replacing travel & holiday items as the third most bought item online. And these were frequent purchases with mid-ticket revenue value. The typical online clothes shopper bought on average 3 items of clothing in the 4-week period, spending on average £25 per item.

Indeed, the study shows that the "female pound" is growing stronger online, with women making up the majority of purchasers in the categories showing strongest year-on-year growth, such as clothes, toys, groceries and electrical white goods.

According to Simon Cheshire, associate director of NOP Consumer's New Media division, "Overall, we've seen Internet growth consolidate over the last 12 months, moving from the boom period of 18,500 new users a day level we reported this time last year, to a current figure of 9,000 new users a day. With this in mind, we're probably going to fall just short of the magical 50% of the GB population using the Internet by the year-end. However, it's apparent that new users are now coming from right across the spectrum. Noticeably, we've had more new female than male users in the last 12 months, and we've also seen the greatest single proportion of new users from within the so-called "grey market". It is this "mainstreaming" of the medium that is fuelling the variation in the shopping baskets."

NOP World screened a nationally representative sample of 30,000 adults, aged 15+, in Great Britain for Internet usage in May 2001 and carried out 689 interviews with Internet shoppers in June 2001.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.