Almost a third (29%) of UK shoppers said they would buy an appliance from an online retailer they’d never heard of just to get the lowest price, according to a new survey.
More than half of the 2,072 people interviewed for the YouGov survey, commissioned by the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (Amdea), revealed that they had bought white goods online.
Almost 30% said price was such a high priority when buying a fridge, freezer, cooker or washing machine that they would buy from an online seller they had not heard of to get the cheapest product.
The findings also showed that almost two-thirds (64%) said they would spend more time considering which trainers to buy than choosing major domestic appliance that could cost 10 times as much. The same was true for researching a meal out or a holiday.
The online survey was conducted last month.
- Key findings:
- 50% of UK adults have purchased a white goods item online
- 16% were likely or very likely to consider purchasing a second-hand large appliance online, in the future
- 34% would like to check if the model they propose to purchase has been recalled but don’t know how or where to look.
Douglas Herbison, Amdea chief executive, said: “At least half of our major appliances are now purchased online yet, despite an expectation that they will last for many years, it’s surprising that such a major investment warrants less thought than this season’s shoes!”
The research, commissioned by Amdea, was published ahead of International Product Safety Week.
It showed that almost 30% of appliance shoppers often don’t read the instructions before switching on a new large domestic appliance for the first time.
Said Herbison: “As we move into a peak buying season, our industry has looked at how our customers choose and buy their appliances online to support International Product Safety Week with sensible advice tailored to the findings among British shoppers.”
Ahead of the peak Christmas buying season, Amdea is urging consumers to research appliances and sellers carefully and register products with the manufacturer at www.registermyappliance.org.uk to always stay up to date with safety issues.
Amdea also advised appliance shoppers to take more care when buying a major domestic appliance, including checking ratings and reviews as well as the recall listing, which can be found here https://productrecall.campaign.gov.uk