2019 has already seen a number of large retailers leave the high street, with Britons admitting they only shop on the high street once every three months. They’d likely shop on the high street more often if there was a larger variety of shops to choose from and parking was more affordable, instead choosing to shop online where they have everything they need in one place.
Photo: PA
The team behind money-saving website www.MoneySavingHeroes.co.uk conducted the research as part of an ongoing study into Britons’ attitudes towards high street shopping vs online shopping.
It was initially found that almost three quarters of British people have shopped online at least once in the past month, compared to just one in four who have shopped on the high street in the past month. Asked how often they shopped either way, it was found the average Briton will make an online purchase every 14 days on average, compared to making a purchase on the high street every 92 days on average.
When asked what they were most likely to purchase online, the favoured purchases were found to be ‘clothing’ (30%), ‘groceries’ (23%) and ‘home furnishings’ (11%), while the top high street purchases were found to be ‘clothing’ (25%), ‘holidays’ (21%) and ‘gifts’ (15%).
Asked why they preferred shopping online to the high street, the top reasons why were found to be:
1. I can shop anytime, anywhere - 96%
2. It’s easy to shop around and get the best deal - 71%
3. You have the option to filter to find what you’re looking for - 57%
4. Delivery is usually quite cheap, if not free - 52%
5. You don’t get harassed by retail assistants - 49%
What’s more, when asked if they were more inclined to make a purchase online due to an advert, 58% stated they would, and a further 52% were more likely to make a purchase if they were to come across a discount or deal available.
Asked if there was anything in-store that would encourage a purchase, or additional purchase, 45% stated that an in-store sale would be the most attractive.
Finally, when asked what would encourage them to spend more time shopping on the high street, the top responses were found to be ‘more relevant shops/brands to open on the high street’ (39%) and ‘cheaper/free car parking’ (32%).
A spokesperson for www.MoneySavingHeroes.co.uk commented:
“It’s hard to argue with the fact that more and more stores and brands are leaving the high street, and there are more than enough retailers online to fulfil the needs of any shopper. That being said, something needs to be done to prevent the death of the high street – if brands don’t return shoppers don’t have a reason to go there, we’ll lose it.”