'Xtreme' shoppers flock to the web

27.01.2012

A study has branded many full-time workers aged from their twenties to their mid forties as 'Xtreme' shoppers. The GfK research found that more of these shoppers in Europe are using the internet to make purchases, when compared to those in the US. Some 95% of European 'Xtreme' shoppers use the web to research products ahead of buying them, against around two-thirds of those in the US. In Europe, 80% of those polled said that it was quicker and easier to purchase items online. The research was conducted among shoppers in the UK, the US, France, Germany, Poland, Russia and Spain. Alison Chaltas at GfK said: "Xtreme shoppers are a new segment of consumers defined by their specific shopping attitudes and behaviours across all demographic groups. "They are present across all seven of the countries in this study, accounting for over two out of five of the European consumers, and just under that in the US. "More importantly, they appear to be a rapidly expanding segment that is largely made up of 25 to 44 year-olds in full time employment - a prime target group for many retailers." Copyright Press Association 2012