Are you a speedy shopper?

The 7 stages of shopping

In the world of online shopping, recent research has revealed that the average purchase involves 7 steps and takes just over 3 hours. Through some investigating of our own, which delved into the purchasing patterns of British shoppers, we found that in the UK, consumers are no different.

In fact, the first step of a Brit's lengthy shopping process is deciding for at least 35 minutes if the purchase is actually worth it. This is followed by an online search for the product or service, taking at least 33 minutes and another 30 minutes reading reviews. Half an hour is spent narrowing down between brands, before sharing the potential purchase with friends and family, and finally, completing the transaction.

Overall, 62% of our respondents believe themselves to be 'considered' purchasers, who won't make any rash decisions, and only 14% see themselves as 'impulse' buyers, not bothering to do any research. The study also found a store's pricing to be the biggest driving factor when it comes to using their services – ahead of their environmental policies, customer service or reviews.

With regards to reviews, Brits take the number of stars very seriously, especially when considering eyewear like contact lenses or eye medication. Our London team discovered that British customers won't buy something with under 3.4 stars out of 5 and 1 in 10 won't make a purchase of something with 99 5-star ratings if it has a single 1-star review.

As online shopping is on the rise, let's find out how you shop! We've put together a fun quiz to see if you're more of a contemplative consumer or a blazing bargain hunter. Follow us on social to let us know how you did: we're on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.