5. eCommerce

Not every business can sell its goods or services online but, increasingly, more and more purchasing decisions are being researched or influenced online.

Up to now the evidence has been mainly anecdotal. A consumer walks into a store, tries on a pair of jeans, notes the details and buys the jeans in an online store. Another reads reviews about new smartphones on gadget websites, makes a shortlist, visits a physical phone shop, tests the shortlisted phones and buys one. A third reads reviews on TripAdvisor, compares prices on a range of sites before using a deals website to secure the best rate for a weekend break.

The Consumer Confidence Barometer tracks the consumer journey from research through to purchase. The research was commissioned by Google and IAB Europe, and carried out by market research agency TNS. It questioned 2,000 Irish consumers about their shopping habits.

It shows marked differences in purchasing behaviours across different sectors. Unsurprisingly, travel is the sector where there is the greatest level of online research leading to online purchasing.

What websites or online resources influence consumers? The Irish research show a similar pattern across all sectors, with search being dominant (73% to 79% depending on the sector), followed by manufacturer websites (44% to 55%) and social media sites (21 – 25%)

Source: Consumer Commerce Barometer, which covered 25 countries and 36 product categories, Irish data based on a sample of 2,000, data compiled April 2010

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