Wednesday 15 August 2012

Mondays are 'let's shop online'-days in Europe

Last month a new study was published about the way European consumers conduct their e-lives. It was conducted by a Japanese retail company, Rakuten and one of its main findings was that more people turn to e-commerce sites after work on a Monday (in the UK and Germany), than during any other time of the week. Apparently virtual shopping works just as well well as real life one in making us feel better when we are feeling a bit down (due to having gone back to work, again). Interestingly, in France such a peak appears on Wednesdays - when French children finish school early and their parents are more likely to get home early, too. Another finding is the opposite trend in the UK and France as to when smartphones and tablets are used for e-commerce. English commuters tend to shop more online on their way to work in the morning, while French ones do it on their way back home more often (between six and seven in the evening). (Study examines Brits' e-commerce habits) I hope European Commission has more luck than I did finding online the whole study (and not just its summaries) and will add it to its database on consumer shopping behaviour that should be consulted during any legislative process.