I Report Plus Main Findings: 4th Quarter 2016

Increase of online purchases to 35%

December was first in online purchases with 74%

Most online purchases were made from the age group 25 - 34

‘Clothing’ recorded the highest preference

Boohoo – the new kid on the block

The results of the fourth quarter of 2016 of the subscription tool for measuring and analyzing online shopping in Cyprus - the I Report Plus - were announced today by Interactive Marketing Services Company, ImarComms.

The I Report Plus tracked the online behavior of the Cypriot consumer for the fourth quarter of 2016 with December recording the highest buying traffic of the quarter with 74%, November being second with 43% and October being third with 41%. The age groups that had the highest percentage of purchases per month were: the age group 35-44 for December and the age group 25-34 for November and October.

Overall, the online purchases for the fourth quarter of 2016 were recorded at 35%, with an increase of 2% from the previous quarter.

The I Report Plus recorded that most online purchases were made from a personal computer with 68%, followed by mobile phone with 35% and Tablet with 15%. The age group that had the highest percentage of purchases via a personal computer was the age group 45+ and from mobile and Tablet the age groups 25-34 and 35-44, respectively. Most purchases were made from home by 93%.

Concerning the categories and types of products purchased online, the I Report Plus recorded among the first categories:
• The category ‘Clothing’ with 36% and an increase of 5% from the previous quarter
• The category ‘Technology’ with 36% and an increase of 1% from the previous quarter
• The category ‘Footwear’ with 12% and an increase of 3% from the previous quarter
• The category ‘Air flight tickets’ with 9% and a decrease of 5% from the previous quarter

Regarding the websites and online shops from where the purchases were made, the I Report Plus recorded as first Ebay with 48% and a decrease of 6% from the previous quarter, as second Amazon with 16% and a decrease of 7%, and as third Asos with 12% and an increase of 4%. Also from the other online shops, the I Report Plus recorded among others - Ali express with 8%, Aegean with 4%, eshop with 3% and Boohoo with 2%.

“The I Report Plus recorded an overall increase in the online purchases for the fourth quarter of 2016 with December making the big difference. The rise of the online purchases did not come from the big and traditional eshops, which indeed recorded a significant reduction, but by much smaller and more specific online shops”, said Pericles Ellinas, CEO of ImarComms.