STUDY SAYS THE INTERNET HAS GLOBAL RETAIL IMPACT

DEENA AMATO-McCOY

DENVER -- Supermarket retailers worldwide are using the Internet to enhance the consumer shopping experience, but the degree to which it is accepted on a consumer level is not universal, according to a new industry survey.

Currently 49% of U.S. respondents use the Internet for various tasks, followed closely by 46% of Swedish participants. France, however is least committed to the technology, as only 17% of its respondents use the Internet.

These are among the key findings from The Lifestyle Revolution, an international survey examining how technology trends impact consumer lifestyles. The report was previewed at the Retail Information Systems Conference here Oct. 18-21, and released nationally Oct. 28.

Globally, most respondents are in favor of conducting on-line shopping via their PC or television. Approximately 25% of respondents in the United States, Sweden and Germany are interested in grocery shopping through these methods. In addition, 43% of U.S. and Swedish participants, and 39% of German participants are willing to use these channels for non-grocery shopping.

The study, based on 3,500 interviews with respondents from the United States, Sweden, Germany, France and Great Britain, was conducted by Market Opinion Research International, London, and sponsored by ICL, London.

As Internet use grows, customers seek alternatives to traditional shopping methods, such as participating in delivery services. When asked if they would enroll in a weekly service that would deliver goods to their home or workplace, 41% of British respondents were interested, followed by 37% of U.S. participants. The least interested was France, which had 27% of respondents interested in the service.

Though interest in the Internet continues to grow, there is still uncertainty about the security of these transactions. Thirty seven percent of participants in Great Britain believe an Internet transaction is safer than a traditional credit card transaction. This overshadows responses from France, where 26% agree Internet transactions are safer, and only 13% of participants from the United States and Germany agree.