Why do 96% of us shop online?

Wednesday 21 March 2018

A consumer survey has been released to help Guernsey's retail sector identify how it can improve its business.

It goes into detail on consumer habits and preferences, of how, why and what people buy.

Carried out by Island Global Research for the Committee for Economic Development, it surveyed just over 900 Guernsey residents on the retail experiences they use and how the sector can "best meet their shopping needs".

It showed that over the past 12 months, 96% of respondents shopped online, and while 46% preferred to shop locally compared to 25% preferring online, there was a dominance of online shopping across all age groups and other categories.

it was also highlighted that the local shopping environment could be improved.

The Committee is using the findings to inform its approach to the retail sector, and is circulating the results to businesses on its retailer database, and publishing them more widely online, so that businesses can also benefit from the data gathered. 

"The findings of the Retail Survey are valuable to both government and, importantly, for retail sector businesses. The findings represent the collective voice of the Guernsey shopper, giving valuable insight into what to get out of the retail experience in Guernsey," Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, Economic Development Vice-President, said.

"The survey also highlights a number of areas where government and the sector itself can make improvements to the shopping and leisure experience in Guernsey. The results confirm what we already know, that there are a number of challenges facing our local retailers, but I am confident that with a concerted, collaborative approach from the sector and government these challenges can be made into new opportunities.”

Jason Mahy, the MD of Aladdin's Cave, said any information of this kind was always useful to local businesses as they helped to make "informed business decisions".

Ian Burdekin, Head of the Chamber of Commerce Retail Sub-group, agreed the findings would be very useful to retailers: “We are pleased to say that the overall picture appears very positive. Guernsey shoppers want to support local retail and there is a demand for the type of shopping experiences which physical retail is best placed to provide.

"However there are certainly areas where the views gathered here provide an opportunity for retailers to improve and maximise the customer experience, whether that be through incorporating e-commerce into their current offering, tailoring shop opening times to the customer base, or other aspects which consumers have said are important to them.”

The full report of the findings is available for download here.