New research from Hitwise has tracked how the behaviour of British internet users has changed since the onset of the credit crunch, writes Netimperative. Firstly consumers are heading online to save money: traffic to price comparison websites was up 20% year-on-year in July 2008, while searches for summer sales were three times higher this year than last. In addition traffic to discount voucher websites has grown 130%.
Secondly, traffic to property websites has fallen from 0.85% of all UK internet visits to 0.55%. Searches for property sales were also down 53.1% year-on-year in August 2008. In contrast visits to Hitwise's House and Gardens category rose from 0.49% to 0.59% during the same period as consumers chose to focus on DIY improvements and new home furnishings.
Finally, online searches for energy efficiency terms such as "loft insulation" have more than doubled during the past year. Traffic to energy suppliers has also doubled in the last 12 months as consumers look to switch to cheaper deals.
From Netimperative: http://www.netimperative.com, 30/09/2008
Ofcom: http://www.ofcom.org.uk