Shops still reign over online purchases

Three out of five Australians have never been shopping online, according to a survey conducted by the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA).

The independent telephone survey, of 1200 Australians aged 18 and over, revealed some surprising trends about how Australians use the internet for shopping.

"We constantly hear that the internet is changing how we live," said Margy Osmond, CEO of the Australian National Retailers Association. "Yet over sixty percent of people surveyed said that they had never shopped online.

"Of those the most common reason is a preference to visit a shop to purchase a product. Two out of three people nominated this as the reason why they had never shopped on the internet.

"For many people shopping is an enjoyable experience - it is ‘retail therapy’. There is an atmosphere in the shops themselves which can’t be replicated on a computer screen."

Other reasons given by people who had never shopped on the internet included concerns about online security (50.6%), a lack of online access (41.3%), difficulty finding what was wanted (14.5%), and concerns about paying too much (14.7%).

Mrs Osmond said that while internet shopping was likely to increase in the future, in the short-term she did not envisage a new wave of people suddenly reaching for their laptops instead of visiting retailers.

"Only 22 percent of people surveyed indicated they were likely to increase the amount they spent online in the next six months, while nine percent said their spending would decrease, and sixty-nine percent said it would stay the same."

Mrs Osmond said the poll showed that online shopping habits largely focussed on entertainment and leisure, with people less likely to shop online for essentials.