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Retail Searches Top Internet Time
68% OF Internet users visit retail websites on a regular
basis. Consumer acceptance of the Internet as a powerful
shopping tool has never been so high, with 68% of surfers regularly
visiting commercial websites to buys and sell products. Other top
sites include informational material from government organisations,
and the news. The trend follows the increase in home
computers, with 3 in 4 people now accessing the Internet each day.
The findings come from an intensive consumer Internet survey
conducted by online affinity products and service provider, Affinity
Planet in the run up to the launch of their latest affinity tool.
54% of people buy products online once a month or more frequently,
with 1 in 3 buying a number of products each month found the survey.
The most frequently bought items were books and movies. 4 in 5
shoppers now buy books, music, TV and film products online, while
87% of people said they would be buying these products online in
2006.
“This is a fascinating time for online retailing as consumer
demand and retail supply meet in a continuing growth pattern,
seemingly feeding each other,” observed Nick Aldrich,
Commercial Director for Affinity Planet. “Consumers are
demanding more online facilities, and responding with increasing
demand for every new offering online retailers make. The shift
towards online shopping away from high street retailers is growing
apace with 1 in 2 spending over £500 online in 2005. 10% already
currently spend over £2,000 a year online. Consumers are
increasingly turning to their home PC’s to purchase their needs and
wants, and I would expect to see the length of time they spend on
retail sites increasing in coming years.”
Males typically spend more than females online buying higher value
items. What’s more, females are also more reluctant than male
shoppers to buy products from brands that they do not recognise.
“I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist,”
quipped Tammy Faye Bakker, and ‘she isn’t wrong’ reply a
chorus of shopping fans who swear by the power of retail therapy.
However, what was once restricted to a frantic dash around the high
street during your office lunch break, or a ritual weekend shopping
browse is now available 24/7 from within the comfort of your own
home thanks to the development of online shopping. And shopping
aficionados are taking full advantage of these developments show
online shopping figures released for 2005, which grew 32% on the
previous year – itself a year of phenomenal growth for online
shopping.
Around 24 million UK customers shopped online during 2005, spending
a total of £19.2 billion. This figure is expected to rise again by
another 36% in 2006, making a total of £26 billion spent online say
web store trade body IMRG. The explanations for this trend are
numerous from the pure scope of products available through the
Internet, to the simple convenience of shopping online, but it is
also a sign of a changing shift in society. As consumers we demand
more choice, delivered to us faster, and we possess the technical
savvy to find it.
“There is no question that shopping online is the future of
consumer purchasing. 1 in 3 people in the UK now buy
online a number of times a months. If you want a CD, DVD, or book it
is much easier to buy it online than physically buy it from your
local shopping centre and 80% of us do just that. Companies
such as ourselves, are developing online applications that will make
online shopping even easier and beneficial to the shopper. What’s
more they will harness the true power of technology by extending the
reach of these products to the masses via the Internet itself. With
developments like these, it is inevitable that online shopping will
become the accepted norm just as we all rely on our mobiles and
email rather than traditional postal communication,” Nick Aldrich, commercial
director for Affinity Planet
commented.
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RNID
TYPETALK URGES MPS TO LISTEN TO DEAF VOTERS
RNID Typetalk, the specialist telephone service for people
with communication difficulties, is launching a campaign to
encourage MPs in the North West to learn how to use the service.
MPs are being asked to attend a free training session on how to
handle Typetalk calls from people who are deaf, hard of hearing,
deafblind and speech impaired.
The Operator Bureau of the Houses of Parliament has already taken
part in Typetalk training and a number of MPs in the North West have
expressed an interest in learning more about the service.
Operators at RNID Typetalk use a combination of text and speech to
enable people with communication difficulties to converse with
others by phone. A person with hearing difficulties uses a textphone
to make and receive calls, but a hearing person doesn’t need any
specialist equipment.
Lorna Hammerstein, Head of Customer Services at RNID Typetalk, hopes
that the new campaign will encourage more MPs to listen to deaf
callers. She said:- “It is vitally important that MPs don’t
isolate deaf members of their constituency. We are offering free
training sessions to all MPs, which will help people with speech and
hearing difficulties to express their concerns and opinions, in the
same way as everybody else. By giving up a couple of hours to
learn about the RNID Typetalk service, MPs can make a huge
difference to the deaf community.”
There are currently 10.8 million people living in the UK who are
deaf or speech impaired. To find out more about RNID Typetalk, or to
arrange a training session, call 0800 7311 888 (voice) or 18001 0800
500 888 (text). Alternatively, visit
www.typetalk.org.
Liverpool ad agency to CREATE national 08 campaign
LIVERPOOL
based agency Finch have been appointed to produce the first national
advertising campaign promoting Liverpool as European Capital of
Culture in 2008.
The agency won the business after a five-way pitch to the Liverpool
Culture Company.
The campaign follows extensive independent research conducted
throughout the UK that highlighted that although the perception of
Liverpool was improving, most people knew very little about the city
and the breadth of its cultural offer.
The campaign focuses on a series of themes ranging in subjects from
Liverpool's world-heritage waterfront to some of the city's more
hidden treasures.
The tightly-targeted media includes key outdoor positions in the
South East and North West of England including busy London
underground stations and TV sponsorship. The campaign will break in
May 2006.
Kris Donaldson, Marketing Director of the Liverpool Culture Company,
said:- "This is a really important step towards building
momentum towards 2008. Finch's creative thinking was refreshing and
demonstrated a clear understanding of what makes Liverpool unique in
the people and the place."
Councillor Warren Bradley, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said:-
"I'm delighted that a Liverpool based company has won this
contract. Finch are a shining example of the city's burgeoning
creative talent and I look forward to people around the country
having their heads turned and their minds turned on to what is
happening in Liverpool."
Tim Crutchley, Joint Managing Director of Finch, said:- "This
is a really significant win for Finch against some tough national
opposition. It comes with a lot of prestige, but more importantly a
responsibility to deliver a first-class campaign. Being based in
Liverpool encouraged us to go the extra mile whilst understanding
the key issues."
Newly appointed Creative Director, Paul Brown added:- "This is
a fantastic win for the team at Finch and underlines the strong
creative talents that Liverpool has to offer."
The national campaign will be backed by an extensive local campaign
throughout Merseyside detailing how the Capital of Culture will
benefit the region, now and in the future. An extra 1.7million
visitors are predicted to visit Liverpool in 2008, spending £200m.
The city is currently undergoing a £3bn culture led transformation
creating 14,000 new jobs.
The Liverpool Culture Company launched its first artistic programme
in January and a three year sports strategy to highlight the themed
year of 2006 - Liverpool Performs. It will announce the programme
for 2007 in marking the city's 800th anniversary, this summer. A
highlights package of 2008 will be announced in the autumn.
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