Propensity for buying DIY goods online has risen by 67%, survey shows

Sporting equipment, garden and DIY products, toys and games, tablet computers, mobile phones and software and games are forecast to be among the fastest growing online sectors in the next 12 months, according to research revealed today.

The research, commissioned by leading parcel company DPD, questioned online shoppers about the products they bought in the last 12 months and items they would consider buying in the next year to identify the fastest growing e-tail sectors. Sporting equipment is tipped to be the fastest area for growth, with the number of people saying they would buy online increasing by 69% followed by DIY equipment and garden and outdoor goods.

Top 10 fastest growing e-tail sectors:

Product / Percentage growth:
Sporting equipment - 69
DIY equipment - 67
Garden & outdoor - 58
Software & games - 53
PC/tablet computers - 45
Kitchen & home goods - 44
Electrical & photographic - 37
Toys & games - 32
Mobile phone - 29
Beauty & healthcare - 24

The top five products bought online in the last 12 months were books (63%), clothing/footwear (61%), DVDs (54%), CDs (43%) and beauty and healthcare products (32%).

Top 10 products bought online in last 12 months:

Product / Percentage:
Books - 63
Clothing/footwear - 61
DVDs - 54
CDs - 43
Beauty & healthcare - 32
Kitchen & home goods - 30
Toys & games - 28
Electrical & photographic - 25
Garden & outdoor - 25
Software & games - 23

Six products in the 2012 list also appear in the fastest growing list: beauty and healthcare, kitchen and home, toys and games, electrical and photographic, garden and outdoor and software and games. These sectors present the most significant growth as they are already well established online sectors and are therefore the most likely to challenge the dominant big four of books, clothing, DVDs and CDs in the immediate future, said DPD.

DPD’s CEO, Dwain McDonald, said: “Books, CDs, DVDs and clothing continue to dominate the online retail market. But, our research suggests internet shoppers are increasingly prepared to buy a wider range of goods and purchase higher value items such as PCs, tablet computers, photographic equipment and mobile phones.

“As the range and value of goods bought online increases, the reliability and speed of delivery become ever more important. DPD is working hard to innovate services in this area and options like our one-hour delivery timeslot service, Predict, have given retailers a far better customer experience enabling more parcels to be delivered right first time. It also helps to give shoppers greater confidence that buying high value goods online is a straightforward and convenient way to shop.

“Online shopping has rapidly grown to become a mainstream retail channel in the UK. Over the last few years an increasing number of people have switched on to the convenience of shopping from home and, thanks to the internet it has never been easier to research and compare a wide range of products from different retailers to find the best deal.”

Source : Fiona Briggs – Retail Times
http://retailtimes.co.uk/new-survey-reveals-propensity-for-online-purchasing-in-next-12-months/