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British shoppers are doing it on the interwebs

Web and mobiles now a large part of retail therapy

The British are taking to online shopping faster than most other countries, according to a new study.

Over 75 per cent of UK shoppers preferred to buy stuff like CDs, DVDs, books and video games online, compared with 65 per cent globally, a study by KPMG found.

Six in 10 British respondents did some of their grocery shopping on the net and 74 per cent were more likely to book flights or holidays online.

As well as heading online to shop, consumers are also using their smartphones to aid their retail experience.

Just under half of Brits use their mobiles to find shops, while 32 per cent are on their phones researching products.

“The integration of various channels will become increasingly important as retailers begin to see many of their consumers move to online and application-based purchases,” said Tudor Aw, European head of technology.

“As the ubiquitous smartphones empowers the consumer retailers will need to understand the opportunities and risks that mobile devices present.”

Britons, along with the rest of the world, are also using the internet more to help with their shopping.

The majority of customers surveyed will now look on social networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter, or online review sites to help make decisions about what to buy and where to buy it.

However, the Brits are more reluctant when it comes to doing their banking online. Only 27 per cent of people in the country had used any form of mobile banking in the last six months, compared with 52 per cent globally.

The cloud is another area where UK users are less inclined to tread. Just over half of British respondents said that store some of their data online, compared with 65 per cent globally.

"Consumers' concerns over privacy and data security have increased over the last few years and companies across all sectors need to take this concern seriously," Aw said.

KPMG surveyed 9,600 consumers aged between 16 and 65, across 31 countries. ®

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