BBC News Online: Sci/Tech

Thumbs down for cyber-shopping

Verdict Research said only businesses are interested in buying and selling online and the situation shows no signs of changing.

Richard Hyman, a spokesman for Verdict Research, said: "The main reason that electronic shopping is not going to dominate our purchasing in the foreseeable future is that shopping is mainly a physical activity - it's about seeing, touching, and people like doing that.

"That's not the sort of experience they can have sitting in front of an electronic screen."

The cost of a computer is another factor. People living in the poorest parts of Britain are already often farthest from out-of-town shopping centres. To them, the hype surrounding Internet shopping can seem like a second exclusion.

The Pennywell Estate in Sunderland is a typical example. Its 2,000 homes are serviced by just a handful of small stores. The expense of going into town adds to the burden of the weekly shop.

Denise Barna of the Pennywell Neighbourhood Centre said: "To get on the Internet I would imagine lots of people would have to travel to the main city library or the university library and if they are fortunate to have a phone or a computer there's still the problem of having access to credit card facilities."

Tesco is the only UK supermarket to offer online shopping. For a delivery fee of £5, Internet users who live near 10 stores in London and one in Leeds can have their groceries delivered.

Some busy customers, such as solicitor Norman Barnett, are glad to avoid the queues.

"Time is at a premium for me and it (Internet shopping) saves me having to drive to the supermarket, trying to find a parking space and walking round the aisles with the crowds of people that are there.

"It saves me a great deal of time, it enable me to make a decision on choice and I know that the best of what I order is going to be delivered," he said.

Related Stories

Internet shops set to take off

Internet Links

Tesco Internet Store
Euro Yellow Pages: Shopping Centres
Marble Halls Shopping Mall
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