According to a Mastercard research, more than half of buyers in Italy said they made a lot of online purchases (59%) related to basic necessities (whose online purchase increases by 44%), but also to entertain themselves (36%) with virtual experiences ranging from watching movies and TV series to cooking lessons, through virtual fitness sessions.
The same trend is recorded throughout Europe, where the figure stands at 57%.
Online experiences are increasingly popular among Italians (36%) and Europeans (30%), who are increasingly allocating budgets to digital entertainment.
Among Italians, 88% keep in touch regularly, thanks to video-call tools, with their loved ones and work colleagues (against 75% in Europe), 71% are subscribers to a streaming service online, while 1 Italian out of 2 participates in cooking lessons or reads online recipes to test their cooking skills (in line with European data, which are respectively 58% and 50%).
42% of Italians say they do not behave differently from what would happen offline
Overall, Mastercard’s research has revealed how Italian and European online shopping habits tend to reflect the behaviors adopted in real life.
In fact, 42% of Italians (against 51% of Europeans) say they do not behave differently from what would happen offline, underlining how much the price continues to be the most important discriminate when shopping (71% the Italian figure).
Those who are always looking for the best opportunity continue to spend as much time online comparing sites and opinions (86% in Italy against 81% in Europe), thus keeping their habits unchanged.
Top 10 of the most popular experiences in quarantine times (Italy vs Europe)
- 88% regularly make video calls with family, friends and work colleagues (compared to 75% in Europe);
- 71% have an online subscription like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video (compared to 58% in Europe);
- 50% take part in cooking lessons or read recipes online (against 30% in Europe);
- 38% play online video games (against 31% in Europe);
- 34% participate in online fitness classes (against 26% in Europe);
- 34% watch comedies on the web (against 36% in Europe);
- 30% visiting museums or places of interest online (against 24% in Europe);
- 29% attend online music concerts (compared to 32% in Europe);
- 28% are learning to draw;
- 26% take quizzes with friends online (compared to 20% in Europe).
The top 10 of the most popular products in quarantine times
- Books (42% in Italy vs 32% of the European figure);
- Kitchen utensils (25% in Italy vs 22% of the European figure);
- Board games (21% in Italy vs 18% of the European figure);
- Puzzle (19% in Italy vs 17% of the European figure);
- Hair clipper (18% in Italy vs 15% of the European figure);
- Hair dyes (18% in Italy vs 19% of the European figure);
- Fitness equipment (17% in Italy vs 13% of the European figure);
- Computers and accessories (15% in Italy vs 13% of the European figure);
- Arts and DIY (14% in Italy vs 12% of the European figure);
- Yoga equipment (14% in Italy vs 13% of the European figure).
