The Columinate online survey was conducted between November 30 and December 5, with 6,096 respondents.
“The security of online transactions is still the main motivation for not trusting online shopping sites, with 43 percent of online shoppers citing these reasons as a barrier, followed by a poor reputation (41 percent),” said Elna Smit, Marketing Director for Columinate.
“With that said, local retailers are perceived to be more trustworthy and less risky compared to international retailers by more than half of online shoppers.”
It was also found 44 percent of people who shop online will also shop offline.
“Festive shoppers are likely to use online channels for shopping this festive season but don’t expect the malls to be empty,” said Smit.
“An interesting difference emerged between the sexes, with significantly more females stating that they will do all their shopping in physical stores and men much more likely to do all their shopping online. Men are also more likely to spend more money online compared to those women who also intend to do their shopping online.”
HumanIPO asked Smit what she thinks is the main reason for women preferring the malls.
“Some of the possible reasons might be that women prefer the social element of going to a mall, perhaps meeting friends or family there and having a cup of coffee between the shopping. They might also have children who can be entertained,” she said.
“The other side of the coin is that men are less involved in the ‘gifting process’ and thus prefer the path of least resistance and most convenience.”
A third of online shoppers revealed to Columinate they will purchase certain items online, but other purchases will be made in stores. 60 percent said they are likely to spend from R400 to R3000 (US$46.20 to US$347) “in a single online instance”.
Convenience was found to be the main reason for shopping online in a similar survey conducted last year by Columinate. The agency found convenience continues to be the reasoning behind shopping online this year
25 percent of online shoppers said they are making use of online facilities in order to avoid the malls.
“The survey again looked at online shoppers preference for local versus international online stores and it seems that local is still lekker,” said Smit after finding 58 percent prefer shopping at online local retailers.
The reasons for this is because 62 percent prefer shopping in South African currency as well as the fact that shopping from local online stores provides shorter delivery time.
The online shoppers surveyed also revealed the level of trust they have in certain online retailers.
Kalahari won the most votes with 79 percent, with NetFlorist and Woolworths following close behind with 75 percent and 72 percent respectively.
