Online shopping overtakes shopping at stores: Yahoo survey

A new survey reveals that online shopping is more popular among consumers with 80 per cent of them opting to shop online instead of visiting different stores to make a purchase.

According the study jointly undertaken by Yahoo and Mindshare, the shopping behaviour of customers revealed that 31 per cent shoppers opted to buy online to save the time and effort that might be spent on physically visiting stores to buy the products.

About 28 per cent customers bought online due to the discounts and promotions offered while the convenience to shop anywhere, anytime attracted the remaining 21 per cent, the survey said.

The study further pointed to the increasing number of customers taking to mobile phones to make online purchases as against other electronic devices.

''The ecommerce landscape in India is perhaps the most dynamic in the world, largely due to the rapidly evolving mobile ecosystem. This research highlights the role of mobile from the top of funnel to the bottom and how it varies across product categories. It will help us develop sharper, more connected communication strategies for brands,'' M A Parthasarathy, chief product officer, Mindshare South Asia said, PTI reported.

The survey also revealed the most consumers used only mobile devices while making purchases related to apparels, electronic devices, baby and pet care products.

Interestingly, 75 per cent online shoppers in Kolkata were open to mobile transactions as against 64 per cent in Chennai and 57 per cent in Delhi. Online shoppers in metros like Mumbai and Bangalore seemed more cautious with less than 35 per cent of them preferring mobile transactions over other modes of payments, the study found.

While 79 per cent preferred shopping on a mobile device, only 9 per cent opted for PC / laptop and 12 per cent in a physical stores. More than 90 per cent of the consumers used mobile devices for quick and frequent spending on travel, music and movies.

''The study shows that the consumer path-to-purchase is turning more complex and nonlinear, with mobile at the center of this evolution. As mobile devices become more important in the consumer's last mile of purchase decision, brands need to build targeted, more seamless shopping experiences across all channels to strengthen sales and acquire new customers,'' said Francis Che, head of insights, APAC, Yahoo, The Indian Express reported.