Other countries where large numbers of consumers are opting to shop online include Australia, the US and Germany.
The research reveals that people are taking up internet shopping at different rates in different markets. In both China and Romania for example just 1% of consumers claim to have purchased something online. This is partly due to lower levels of internet penetration in some countries, however, even among the internet users, the number who actually choose to shop online varies greatly by country. For instance, the 6% of people who buy online in Spain represent less than a fifth of all internet users in that country - a stark contrast with South Africa where almost two thirds of internet users (64%) have made a purchase online.
Perceived safety of payment (32.4%) and uncertainty regarding the quality of goods (45.6%) were cited as reasons why the internet was not used for shopping by South Africans.
It isn't wise to assume that people everywhere are using the internet to buy the same types of goods or services. In Japan, books and clothes are the most popular internet purchases but in South Africa, music, videos and computer software/games come out top.
Regardless of the disparity in numbers of online buyers in different parts of the world, the internet is certainly having a profound effect on the way people do their shopping across the globe. In the US for example, 42% of people say that the internet has changed the way they look for information on products. Over a quarter of consumers (26%) in Saudi Arabia say that to do their shopping by internet would make their lives easier, compared to 23% in South Africa.
[Base: Individuals aged 18+] Source: TGI Global
*excludes holiday/travel reservations
