PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, March 25, 2008 – According to Online Software Purchases Report, a recent study from The NPD Group, of those consumers purchasing software products online, 36 percent download it directly to their computer, making it the most common way for these tech-savvy consumers to acquire software. NPD surveyed consumers ages 18 and older, and identified those who made online and offline purchases of Security, System Utility, Finance, Business, Imaging & Graphics, Personal Productivity, Operating Systems, Education and PC Games software.
At 35 percent, the second most common way of acquiring software that has been purchased online is to have the product shipped, with an additional 23 percent preferring to download the software directly to their computer while simultaneously having a backup CD shipped to them, often at an additional cost. Almost 20 percent of consumers converted a trial version of software to a paid version online when the software was bundled or pre-installed in the new PC they purchased.
Those preferring to shop at brick and mortar retail stores and not online cited shipping costs, lack of live sales staff, and security as a few of the reasons why they don't purchase software online.
NPD's Online Software Purchases Report delivers comprehensive information into the online software consumer's attitudes and behaviors, providing insight into the e-commerce retail channel as it pertains to consumer software purchases, with knowledge of which software segments and retailers are driving online software purchasing. In addition, it delivers a clear understanding of the online software purchaser's attitudes and behaviors, the significance of digital downloads, and why some consumers choose not to purchase online.
According to the report, the reason most often cited for purchasing software online is convenience, with 36 percent of consumers stating they find it more convenient to make purchases online than having to buy it at a physical brick & mortar retailer.
When it comes to concerns, of those consumers purchasing software online, 64 percent have security concerns about downloading from the Internet and 43 percent have concerns about software downloads "crashing" their computers.
Certain consumer segments, such as those who purchase from manufacturer-direct sites, baby boomers and online software consumers ages 65 and older are significantly more likely to have no concerns about purchasing software online and having it downloaded directly to their computer.
Methodology
A survey invitation was e-mailed to a nationally representative sample of adults 18 years
of age and older. Qualified respondents purchased or renewed software online in the
previous 12 months. The survey is based on 3,209 completed surveys from qualified respondents, and was fielded from January 16, 2008, to January 29, 2008. This data is not weighted to be representative of any population.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless.For more information, contact us or visit http://www.npd.com.