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E-commerce in the Czech Republic
2007-10-10
According to the latest report published by Gemius, 66% of Czech Internet users have been shopping online. In all probability, the future of e-commerce in the Czech Republic is bright - the majority of e-customers admitted that they would buy online at least as often as they have done so far.
Good prospects for e-commerce
Even though e-shopping in the Czech Republic is still in the phase of development, every two out of three (66%) Internet users in this country declare to have been shopping online. The most important reasons for buying on the Internet are savings of money and time. The majority of the respondents who have heard about online shopping consider buying on the Internet cheaper (60%) and more time-saving (59%) comparing to traditional shops. Additionally it turns out that for the Internet users spending as little money (29% of respondents) and time (24%) as possible are the most important criteria when buying. In the light of these results, e-commerce will certainly develop quickly and successfully.
These good prospects are also confirmed by the fact that one third of the e-shoppers claim that they want to buy more frequently. At the same time almost half of the Internet users who have ever bought online (48%) stated that their frequency of e-shopping would remain unchanged.
What are factors that could increase the level of online purchase? As it was mentioned above, the Czech clients are very price-conscious. Therefore, the reduction of the prizes would be an important incentive. Almost one third of e-customers (31%) agreed that lower prizes would make them buy on the Internet more often. Secondly, the wider assortment as well as special offers and discounts would also encourage them to do the e-shopping more frequently (respectively 18% and 14% of all respondents who have ever done shopping on the Internet).
Not only is e-shopping popular among the Internet users, but also the number of experienced e-shoppers increases. According to the report those with over one year of e-commerce experience constitute 52% of Internet users who have ever purchased online. Equally important is the fact that the majority of customers (70%) buy on the Internet at least several times per year.
Shops and auctions
By and large, the e-shops are much more popular among Czech Internet users than auctions. As much as 92% of e-customers have already bought in online shop whereas only 20% at auction. What makes the e-clients prefer the former is the higher credibility of information and the fact that objects that are received are the same as ordered (30% of the e-shops’ customers agreed with these statements). At the same time, those who choose Internet auctions appreciate lower prices (36%) and easier procedures of purchase (17%).
As far as differences between e-shops and auctions are concerned, Internet users buy different products in these two places. Consumer electronics and home appliances are the most popular products among the clients of e-shops (43% of the Internet users who bought in online stores) whereas clothes and jewelry are the most frequently bought products at auctions (35% of the Internet users who bought at auctions).
To sum up, e-commerce in the Czech Republic will most likely develop dynamically, since the interest of Internet users in this form of shopping continuously increases. We all know the supply and demand right, where quantity supplied equals quantity demanded. It means that with the growth of interest and trust to online purchase both shops and auctions would gain customers. There is one main condition though: price. Without the prices competitive to traditional stores, as well as wider range of goods and safer payment procedures, clients’ purchasing power won’t be used effectively.
About the research The research was conducted with the use of questionnaires that were opened in a new browser window after clicking on a banner encouraging to take part in the research. The questionnaires were collected between 16th and 22nd of August 2007. After being filtered according to Gemius standards, the sample comprised 4073 cases. The sample was weighted using the structural data provided by Mediaresearch (data for April 2007). The findings are representative in terms of age, gender and frequency of Internet use for the whole Czech Internet users population 15-79 years old. Information about sample size presented in the report refers to weighted data. Sample size (N) may be different for each question, as there were some filters applied.
Gemius SA is the largest online research agency in Central and Eastern Europe, which provides a wide range of Internet research products to brand name clients throughout the region. Gemius SA has also recently started operating in Denmark. The aim of its core research - gemiusAudience - is to set an online audience measurement currency in all of the countries the company is present in. By working with key joint-industry committees and other market players, Gemius provides accurate, high-quality data for media planners, buyers and sellers.
Mediaresearch in cooperation with Gemius SA provides monitoring of Internet servers attendance and survey on socio-demographic structure of Internet audience in the Czech Republic - project NetMonitor. Simultaneously it does marketing and business support of other Gemius SA products in this country. The company developed methodology of TV audience monitoring that has been implemented on the Czech market since 2002. Mediaresearch was also Gemius partner in e-commerce stucy in the Czech Republic.
Download a complete version of the press release in a Word file.
For detailed information about the study please contact:Krzysztof Dabrowski, Operation Manager Gemius s.r.o.; krzysztof.dabrowski@gemius.cz