Shoppers read web reviews for advice

A survey by shopping website Ciao has revealed that 76 per cent of online shoppers prefer to take product advice from complete strangers than from friends or sales assistants.

The survey, carried out on 1,223 people, revealed that more people are turning to review sites before committing to buy products online or offline.

Review sites let visitors to read the opinions of people who already own the product, which most survey respondents chose over the advice of others.

According to the survey, only two per cent of shoppers thought the advice of sales assistants had an impact on their purchases, with 19 per cent taking advice from friends.

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Ciao also reported that online spending has remained high through the current financial crisis, with 82 per cent of respondents spending over £100 per year online, a quarter of whom spend £1,000 or more.