KPMG’s study “Consumers and Convergence,” now in its fifth edition, confirms the trend of accelerated pace of consumer adoption of new digital business models.
“When out shopping these days, consumers are ever more likely to turn to their personal computers (PCs), smartphones and tablet PCs to find gifts, check recommendations, compare prices, access online coupons, and ultimately pay for their purchases,” says a press release by the audit and consulting company.
Some 73% of Romanian respondents said they spend up to two hours per day online shopping or seeking information on various products and services, while 5% prefer to use mobile phones for this purpose.
“Consumers worldwide are increasingly willing to adopt new technologies and digital business models, and that spells big opportunities and risks for service providers, retailers, media companies, banks and the host of other players vying for a piece of the digital value chain,” says Aurelia Costache, Management Consulting Partner at KPMG in Romania, cited in the press release.
Whereas in 2008, half of the respondents to the global survey said they were very uncomfortable with mobile banking, today 66% say they are willing to use their mobile phone as an electronic wallet. Furthermore, the share of consumers who prefer to use mobile equipment to surf the Internet, read the news and shop has increased fivefold.
“In Romania, 15 percent of respondents declared that they are also accessing these services by using their smartphones and three percent by using tablets. Television viewing also saw a decline with 51 percent of respondents (also true for the Romanian respondents) now preferring to watch TV and movies online on their computers and 24 percent on their smartphones (only 13 percent in Romania),” says the press release.
Nevertheless, more and more consumers are unwilling to pay for access to online content – 73%, compared with 57% in the study’s 2011 edition.
“A significant opportunity exists however, around personal and usage data as consumers surprisingly show an increasing willingness to allow their data to be tracked. KPMG’s study shows that in the recent holiday season, when consumers were online or using their mobile devices, over two-thirds would have been happy to allow their online usage and location to be tracked, providing they got a deal. The figure increases to over 75 percent for 16 to 24 year olds.”
European consumers are the least willing to be monitored, compared with users in the Asia-Pacific region and Americans.
“Fifty-five percent of consumers in Europe were more likely to purchase CDs, DVDs, books and video games online rather than in a store. In Romania, the percentage of respondents that prefer to purchase these services online is slightly lower than the European Average (49 percent). However, this represents an increase compared to last year,” says the press release.
More than 70% of American and Asia-Pacific consumers are likely to purchase plane and holiday tickets online, compared with 61% of Europeans (the same figure as Romanian consumers).
Luxury goods were the least likely to be purchased online – 28% according to the replies of international users, 14% of Romanians.