Consumers in Turkey dubious of e-shopping

ISTANBUL

Only 8 percent of respondents of the BCG’s Consumer Sentiment Survey said they used the Internet for shopping.

Consumers in Turkey are still skeptical about online shopping, as only 8 percent of Turks say they buy goods from the internet, according to a survey.

The Consumer Sentiment Survey conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) with the objective of casting light on Turkish consumers’ behaviors revealed Turkish consumers opt for research online purchase offline (ROPO) behavior, which means using the information collected from the internet to subsequently buy things.

Despite being frequent internet users, e-shopping is still not a part of Turks’ habits, as they still have problems with trusting online payments schemes.

Some 64 percent of the respondents said they only used the internet as an information source, while around 53 percent said they preferred to be active in social media platforms.

“According to our research, only a small portion of consumers use the internet for shopping,” BCG Turkey CEO and Manager Partner Burak Tansan quoted as saying by the press statement released by the research company.

The survey results also indicate Turks have become much more conscious and informed.

In Turkey, which ranks as one of the highest spending countries in the world, the consumers say they plan to act more “smart” while shopping by following discounts and promotions, according to the survey conducted in 12 Turkish provinces with consumer groups from all income levels.

Tansan say Turkish consumers are pleased with the life they are living and prefer shopping rather than saving.

Social media is one of the most influential factors on people’s consumption preference as one fifth of respondents said they considered the things they read on social media platforms as significant while purchasing things.

Still, the opinion of loved ones emerged to be more significant with 44 percent saying they were most affected by their girlfriend or boyfriend while shopping.

Online trade via bank cards was worth 31 billion Turkish Liras in 2012, and it is estimated to rise to 62 billion liras by 2015 and to 316 billion liras by 2023, according to the E-commerce Enterprises Association (ETİD).