According to the GlobalWebIndex Q2 2015 report – GWI Commerce, online commerce has become the mainstream internet activity. The report looks at the countries and demographics that are driving online commerce; the role that PCs, laptops, mobiles and tablets are playing in online purchasing; the potential and current impact of social commerce and purchasing behaviors of consumers.
Some of its key points include:
• With almost a billion internet users shopping online each month across GWI’s 34 countries, online commerce has become a truly mainstream internet activity. That 55-64s are just as likely to be shopping online as 16-24s shows just how normal this activity has become.
• The success of Amazon is evident. Outside China, 1 in 2 internet users visit the online marketplace each month, rising to 3 in 4 in Germany and the US. In China, it’s Alibaba which is dominant; 3 in 4 in China regularly visit Taobao. Alibaba’s presence outside Asia remains small, though, with only 5% in the US visiting Aliexpress.com.
• Almost all online shoppers are using PCs/laptops to complete some of their purchases but mobiles are now key online commerce devices too. Each month, half of online shoppers use a mobile to buy online, with rates highest among 16-24s.
• Online shoppers are deeply concerned about their online privacy. 4 in 10 are deleting cookies at least once a month so that websites will not remember them and a significant portion are using anti-tracking software.
