Despite a marked tendency to start the technology consumer journey online – three in four consumers start their technology shopping digitally – offline sources do play an important role later in the purchasing process, with only a seven percentage point gap between overall usage of online and offline sources (95% compared to 88%).

Retailers’ websites are by far the most important source of information when shopping around for technology products, with seven in 10 consumers saying they would visit a retailer’s website at some point in the process. Reading user reviews follows at 63%, but a potential issue around the credibility of online reviews is leading consumers to trust professional reviews more. As a result, consumers say they can reach a purchasing decision faster if expert opinions are involved.

At the same time, to address a degree of insecurity and unfamiliarity with technology, consumers feel the need to visit a store to physically assess and interact with tech products before purchase, particularly for big ticket items and devices they have never owned before.

Despite all of the research they tend to carry out, the choice of what product to buy and where to buy it, in the end, remains mostly price-driven, with 88% of UK adults saying price is an important factor in the choice of seller.

This Report investigates the process of researching and buying technology products in the UK, with a focus on the consumer journey to the purchase, both online and offline.

For the purpose of this Report and unless otherwise indicated, the phrase ‘technology products’ refers to four product categories surveyed and researched by Mintel – desktop/laptop computers, smartphones, tablets, and televisions.