More than half of shoppers (53pc) would prefer to buy a laptop or PC in a retail store than over the internet, a survey by Click.ie has revealed.
According to the Click.ie survey, 40pc of shoppers claim to be nervous about buying an electronic product such as laptop or PC over the internet.
The main reason shoppers prefer to buy more complex products in store is because of the reassurance of returning it if there is a problem.
More than a third (35pc) also said they like the personal touch and the ability to ask questions when buying.
Online security does not seem to be a big barrier for shoppers, however, with just more than one in 10 (11pc) worried about revealing credit-card details over the web.
However, the power the internet holds over our shopping habits is clear from the finding that almost 90pc of shoppers conduct an internet search before purchasing electronic consumer goods, such as PCs, cameras and printers.
Retail outlets still have role to play
“The findings suggest that retail outlets continue to have a role to play in the purchase of home media and IT products,” said Maurice Muldoon, CEO and founder of Click.ie.
“But the growing influence and power of the internet is evidenced in the fact that 90pc of Irish shoppers will check out product reviews and prices online first.”
He added that if high-street retailers are to compete successfully with the web in the future, they must ensure that their staff are not only available but trained to deal with customer queries from people of different age groups and very different levels of knowledge.
Photo: Maurice Muldoon, CEO and founder of Click.ie
