By Maximilian Clarke
More consumers in the UK use the internet for shopping than other major countries, a new Ofcom report reveals.
They also watch more TV online, use their mobiles more to go online and play more games on their phones.
The report also reveals that the UK customers are paying lower prices for their communications than many consumers across the world.
Ofcom’s sixth International Communications Market report into the global communications market looks at take-up, availability and use of broadband, landlines, mobiles, TV and radio in 17 countries.
It shows that despite the economic downturn, global communications revenues grew by 3.4 per cent in 2010 compared with 2009, mainly driven by strong growth in the BRIC countries (Brazil, India, Russia and China).
A nation of online shoppers
The report found that eight in ten UK internet users (79 per cent) said they had ordered goods or services online in 2010, higher than any other European country, with just 27 per cent of consumers in Italy claiming to have done so. UK internet users were also more likely to visit retail websites online than other countries, with nine in ten (89 per cent) claiming to do so in 2011.
As well as more UK consumers shopping online, they also spent more time on retail sites — an average of 84 minutes in January 2011, compared with around 20 minutes for consumers in Poland and Italy.
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