Tablets driving online shopping

Johannesburg - More than 70% of tablet owners use the devices to shop online, according to a survey released on Monday.

Online retailer kalahari.com analysed the behaviour of over 4 000 connected South Africans, which revealed that 73.4% of tablet owners were using the device to shop online.

"The growth of mobile shopping in the last year has been fuelled by the vigorous uptake of tablet devices," kalahari.com marketing head Liz Hillock said in a statement.

The number of tablet owners was set to grow, as close to 60% of shoppers who did not currently have tablets were considering buying one.

"Tablets are portable and, with their touch screens and intuitive interfaces, they have become a more tactile and convenient way to access the internet and shop online."

The survey revealed the Apple iPad as the most popular tablet, followed by Samsung Galaxy.

It also showed more than a third of connected shoppers owned a tablet and used it to shop online for items such as electronic books, music, flight tickets, or for banking.

Hillock said a growing number of women were buying tablets.

"From 2010 to July 2011, males were the predominant purchasers of tablets (at 64%) while the number of female tablet buyers was a mere 36%.

"This is changing as from August 2011 to date, 54% of tablet buyers are male and 46% female."

The survey showed that in terms of smartphones, BlackBerry remained the favourite for mobile shoppers, with the Apple iPhone in second spot.

The increase in internet access via mobile devices coincided with the growth of mobile shopping transactions recorded over the last year.

In 2012, 37.3% of the respondents indicated they had already made a purchase on their smartphones, while 63.2% indicated they were considering it.

"Shoppers are clearly becoming comfortable and confident with the idea of transacting through their cellphones," said Hillock.

"In fact, the survey also shows that 98% of South Africans connected feel that accessing the internet on their smartphones is as safe, or safer, than accessing it via their computer."

This year's mobile shopping survey confirmed an increasing number of shoppers would be transacting and shopping through their cellphones in the near future.