With the availability of comparison shopping sites and product review sites, consumers are spending more time researching to ensure they find the right product at the right price. Eighty-one percent of respondents say they research online prior to purchasing home furniture and major appliances. Of that, 31 percent indicate that they purchase those products they researched. Additionally, the right price continues to be a primary factor in purchase decisions, as 43 percent of respondents cite more competitive prices as the main reason to purchase these big-ticket items online.
Trusting that what you see is what you'll get
Traditionally, consumers preferred to "touch and feel" major home products prior to purchasing, as shown in the August 2006 survey, where 70 percent of respondents indicated that as the main reason they would not make a major home product purchase online. In the more recent survey, consumers exhibited more trust in the Internet, with only 56 percent indicating that same concern as the primary reason to not make a major home product purchase online. While consumers' concerns with seeing the product in person, unease with online merchants' customer service and the fear of making large online purchases have all decreased since the 2006 survey, concern about the price of home delivery has grown. Merchants can ease reluctance by offering deals on home delivery. Seventy-two percent of consumers say that free home delivery would increase the probability they would make a major home product purchase online.
