A recent survey conducted by E-consultancy and DoubleClick shows that the number of online purchases that have come through comparison sites, aka comparison shopping engines, has increased in the last 12 months, accounting for about 10% of retailers’ online sales. Cash-strapped consumers are using CSEs at a growing rate, making it increasingly important for retailers to have a visible presence on these sites. The report found that most retailers use several CSEs, with 63% of those surveyed using Google Shopping/Google Base. Kelkoo, the next most popular is used by around 50% of retailers, while Shopzilla, PriceRunner and Shopping.com are each used by about 30% of retailers. Google Shopping was regarded as the most easy to use site and the best for quality of traffic.
Amazon and Ebay are used by a minority of retailers (41%) and social shopping sites such as Jellyfish, Kaboodle and Twenga have yet to make an impact with online retailers.
Meanwhile Verdict Research reports that online retailing now accounts for 6.7% (£19.4 billion) of all retail spend in the UK and predicts that online spend will increase to £44 billion by 2012. The same reports states that loyalty to retailers is generally 10% lower than in physical shops, making good service, low prices and ease of navigation crucial in ensuring that customers come back to your site.
Written by Penny Crossland
