People increasingly prefer to do business online

Ofcom’s latest ‘Media Literacy’ survey is out and it includes some significant findings for firms wishing to sell to the public:

Communication preferences have changed since 2005 – for example, adults are now more likely to prefer to check their bank balance online (30% vs. 22%) and less likely to prefer to check their bank balance by making a home / landline phone call (12% vs. 18%). Booking a holiday online / by email is now as popular a preference as booking a holiday in person (36%)…

Just over eight in ten (81%) internet users say they have saved money by using the internet for certain tasks that we asked about; most commonly buying something online rather than in the shops (65%), comparing prices online (63%) or booking travel online (51%). Half of internet users say they have made significant savings by comparing prices online or buying something online rather than in the shops (48%).