Melee shopping is in again
The latest W3B study by Fittkau & Maass finds that enthusiasm for online shopping is waning
The latest W3B study by Fittkau & Maass reveals declining enthusiasm for online shoppingBy Clemens HöerlerThe desire for e-commerce among German-speaking Internet users is declining. This is due to
20 percent are willing to pay for online content. Print advertising in particular plays an important role in finding websites. These are the findings of the 12th WWW user analysis W3B by Fittkau & Maass, Hamburg.
Since spring 1996, the willingness of German-speaking Internet users to shop online has declined for the first time. According to the W3B Internet study conducted by the Hamburg-based market research company Fittkau & Maass GmbH, only 52.9 percent of those surveyed in April and May 2001 stated that they intended to shop online in the next six months. In the fall of 2000, the figure was 64.1 percent and in the spring of 2000 it was 55.3 percent. In contrast, the proportion of people who do not want to shop online has risen.
The biggest obstacle to online shopping is the lack of consumer confidence. For newcomers to the Internet in particular, security plays a major role in the transmission of data and in payment transactions. Although these concerns are diminishing among experienced Internet users, concerns that store operators could pass on personal data to third parties are not.
E-commerce operators are therefore faced with the challenge of consolidating the trust of their customers, although providers that are already familiar from the offline world have it somewhat easier.
The W3B study also looks at the importance of advertising for the Internet. This is of great importance for finding websites. Only search engines and web directories are more important, as well as
word-of-mouth advertising (see chart). Within advertising, print advertisements are obviously the most important guide. Significantly fewer people stated that online advertising had motivated them to visit a website.
Around 20 percent would pay for content
A comparison of the individual media is particularly interesting: advertising is obviously more important for finding websites than editorial articles in the same medium.
However, these results do not hide the fact that it has become more difficult for many website operators to finance themselves solely through advertising. In some cases, the introduction of paid services and content is therefore already being discussed. Some observers are skeptical as to whether content can be sold to spoiled Internet users on a large scale at all. However, the W3B study gives cause for hope. As many as a third of all respondents state that they would be prepared to pay for certain online services or content. 51 percent strictly reject this.
Web publishers should be pleased that 19 percent of Internet users are obviously willing to pay for high-quality, up-to-date information, data or news.
data collected via online form
20 percent are willing to pay for online content. Print advertising in particular plays an important role in finding websites. These are the findings of the 12th WWW user analysis W3B by Fittkau & Maass, Hamburg.
Since spring 1996, the willingness of German-speaking Internet users to shop online has declined for the first time. According to the W3B Internet study conducted by the Hamburg-based market research company Fittkau & Maass GmbH, only 52.9 percent of those surveyed in April and May 2001 stated that they intended to shop online in the next six months. In the fall of 2000, the figure was 64.1 percent and in the spring of 2000 it was 55.3 percent. In contrast, the proportion of people who do not want to shop online has risen.
The biggest obstacle to online shopping is the lack of consumer confidence. For newcomers to the Internet in particular, security plays a major role in the transmission of data and in payment transactions. Although these concerns are diminishing among experienced Internet users, concerns that store operators could pass on personal data to third parties are not.
E-commerce operators are therefore faced with the challenge of consolidating the trust of their customers, although providers that are already familiar from the offline world have it somewhat easier.
The W3B study also looks at the importance of advertising for the Internet. This is of great importance for finding websites. Only search engines and web directories are more important, as well as
word-of-mouth advertising (see chart). Within advertising, print advertisements are obviously the most important guide. Significantly fewer people stated that online advertising had motivated them to visit a website.
Around 20 percent would pay for content
A comparison of the individual media is particularly interesting: advertising is obviously more important for finding websites than editorial articles in the same medium.
However, these results do not hide the fact that it has become more difficult for many website operators to finance themselves solely through advertising. In some cases, the introduction of paid services and content is therefore already being discussed. Some observers are skeptical as to whether content can be sold to spoiled Internet users on a large scale at all. However, the W3B study gives cause for hope. As many as a third of all respondents state that they would be prepared to pay for certain online services or content. 51 percent strictly reject this.
Web publishers should be pleased that 19 percent of Internet users are obviously willing to pay for high-quality, up-to-date information, data or news.
data collected via online form
For the 12th WWW user analysis W3B, 87528 German-speaking Internet users from Germany (91.5 percent), Austria
(4.7 percent), Switzerland (1.4 percent) and other countries were surveyed using an online form. Sampling was carried out using the active sampling/pop-up method (random drawing of the umpteenth visitor), supported by hyperlinks and banner advertising. Over 70 companies with 220 websites were involved in the study.
