WebProNews

Online shopping is expected to increase globally this year, but there is a difference between the purchasing habits of U.S. consumers compared to those in the UK.

The average UK consumer will spend 40 percent more online than the average U.S. consumer and make 24 percent more purchases online, according to a new study from JupiterResearch, commissioned by LinkShare.

UK consumers are more likely than those in the U.S. to use the Internet as a resource in their decision making process throughout the purchase of goods and services of all types. The average UK consumer is eight times more likely to conduct research on multiple sites before making an online purchase. UK consumers are 13 percent more likely to be a frequent online buyer than those in the U.S.

"We were surprised to find that US consumers lag behind their UK counterparts in how they use the Internet to help stretch their dollars in a tough economy," said Yasuhisa "Yaz" Iida, co-president, LinkShare.

"The web enables consumers worldwide to make smarter buying decisions with easy access to product research and consumer reviews, as well as a quick ways to check what other consumers think about products. It's clear that retailers looking to weather the current economic storm should expand their presence online, and continue to look for ways to deepen their customer relationships online."

Just under half (45%) of online buyers say regular promotions are influential in their decisions to continue to buy from an online seller they have purchased from previously.

A third of online buyers say loyalty programs and cash back sites influence their online purchasing decisions.