Wednesday 25 October 2000
Could the Internet offer a solution?
A survey of the nation's 'Bridget Jones' published today has revealed that nearly one in three shopping trips made by British couples, to buy products for the home, ends in an all out row.
allders.com in conjunction with MORI, conducted a poll of unmarried British women - aged 20 to 45 - with boyfriends, to find out what women really thought of their boyfriend's attitude to style and comfort in the home, and what impact it had on their relationships.
Alarmingly the survey uncovered that one in four women believes that their boyfriend's home needs a total overhaul, and one in three women think it lacks any kind of style at all. These results were backed up with the finding that nearly four in ten said their boyfriends never even attempt to purchase products to improve the comfort or style of their home.
Overall, nine in ten women would like to buy their boyfriend something to smarten up his home. When asked which household items they would most like to buy (to improve the comfort and style of his home) decorative accessories, soft furnishings and a new bed featured highest on the list of priorities, along with bed linen, pillows, and towels.
42% of women declared that their boyfriends became impatient and irritable when out shopping for home products and 40% said he becomes bored and disinterested.
42% of women in this group were also convinced that their boyfriends would buy more products for their home if they could do so without having to leave the house, over the Internet, with a staggering 67% anticipating that home delivery of goods would help persuade their boyfriends online. Well over half of women also said their boyfriend would be most encouraged to shop online if there were a guarantee of security, privacy of personal banking details, and if there were a bricks and mortar store nearby to deal with returns.
David Batt, managing director of allders.com, said: "The results from the survey mirrored exactly what we thought to be the case. A classic result from the survey is that over half of the boyfriend's homes contained lots of technical equipment but many are lacking basic items such as linen, kitchen utensils, crockery etc."
"The results from this survey also echo our feelings at allders.com that some people prefer the experience of shopping on the high street, while others prefer the comfort and benefits associated with shopping online. We have developed allders.com for this very reason, so we have a variety of channels that can be used to suit our customers."
"We have taken issues such as security, privacy, fulfilment, user experience and bricks and mortar support very seriously, so much so that allders.com offers a 100% security guarantee - no credit, debit or account card details are held on the site."
"We hope that allders.com appeals to young married and unmarried couples who find shopping online a more convenient and flexible way to buy products for the home, and we invite them to try the allders.com experience."
allders.com launched its online shopping service on October 4th with recently engaged celebrity couple Gabby Yorath and Kenny Logan.
For further information, photographs, or to arrange an interview with David Batt, managing director of allders.com, please contact: Rachael Tilling or Alex MacLaverty (allders.com press office) on 020 7612 1830 or 07768 215 096.
Topline Results
- MORI interviewed 200 unmarried women aged 20 to 45 across Britain, by telephone between 25th September and 22nd October 2000.
- All respondents were required to have a boyfriend with whom they do not live (and who had to live alone or with friends rather than with his parents).
Q1 Which of the following best describes your current situation?
| | % |
|---|
| I am married | 0 |
| I live with my partner | 0 |
| I have a boyfriend who lives at home with his parent(s) or other family members | 0 |
| I have a boyfriend who lives alone | 71 |
| I have a boyfriend who shares accommodation with flatmates / housemates | 29 |
| I do not currently have a partner | 0 |
| Other | 0 |
| None of these | 0 |
| Don't know | 0 |
Q2 Thinking about your boyfriend's flat or house, please tell me which, if any, of the following apply
| | % |
|---|
| It's usually clean and tidy | 62 |
| It's usually untidy | 27 |
| The bathroom is not clean | 26 |
| There are usually dirty dishes in the sink | 39 |
| There are not enough utensils in the kitchen | 30 |
| There is not enough crockery / glasses / mugs | 27 |
| There is not enough spare / clean / matching linen / sheets | 36 |
| There are not enough spare / clean / matching towels | 36 |
| There is lots of technical equipment | 54 |
| The decoration is stylish / fashionable | 33 |
| It lacks style | 33 |
| It is poorly decorated | 29 |
| The bed is old and uncomfortable | 24 |
| It is generally scruffy and un-homely | 25 |
| It requires attention generally | 42 |
| None of the above | 1 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q3 Which, if any, of the following household items would you most like him to buy for his house/flat?
| | % |
|---|
| A new bed | 40 |
| Duvet / pillows / bed linen | 41 |
| Kitchen utensils / cookware | 30 |
| Crockery / glasses / mugs | 27 |
| Curtains / cushions / soft furnishings | 43 |
| Carpets / rugs | 27 |
| Decorative accessories e.g. mirrors, pictures, vases, candles | 47 |
| Storage facilities / cupboards / drawers | 28 |
| Towels | 43 |
| Lighting / lamps | 28 |
| Living room furniture | 26 |
| Bedroom furniture | 33 |
| He needs to re-vamp the lot | 25 |
| None of these | 9 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q4 Have you ever been shopping with your boyfriend specifically to buy household items for his house/flat? IF NO:
Is that because …
| | % |
|---|
| No - he never buys any | 37 |
| No - he gets me to buy them | 5 |
| No - he gets others to buy them | 10 |
| Yes | 37 |
| Don't know | 12 |
Q5 When you go shopping with him to buy household items for his house/flat, which, if any, of the following best describes the experience?
| | % |
|---|
| We have an enjoyable time | 32 |
| We buy the things we want | 34 |
| We tend not to find or agree on what we want | 23 |
| He becomes bored and disinterested | 40 |
| He becomes impatient and irritable | 42 |
| We just buy the first thing he sees | 15 |
| We just buy whatever I choose for him | 29 |
| We end up arguing | 30 |
| Other | 5 |
| None of these | 0 |
| Don't know | 0 |
Q6 Do you think your boyfriend would buy more household items if he could do so without leaving home, for example over the internet?
Q7 Which of the following methods of purchasing household products do you currently use?
Q8 And, so far as you know, in which, if any, of the following ways does your boyfriend currently purchase household products?
Q9 And which can you see your boyfriend using more in the future for purchasing household products?
| | Q7 | Q8 | Q9 |
|---|
| | % | % | % |
|---|
| Buy products over the phone | 22 | 9 | 24 |
| Buy products over the internet | 15 | 16 | 42 |
| Buy products from a dedicated TV channel | 7 | 6 | 18 |
| None of these | 66 | 75 | 33 |
Q10 Which, if any, of the following do you think would be most likely to encourage your boyfriend to shop for household items over the internet?
| | % |
|---|
| If you could order 24hours a day | 36 |
| If it were fast and saved time | 54 |
| If it were easy/straightforward to place orders | 55 |
| It there were a wider choice than on the high street | 53 |
| If it were cheaper than on the high street | 70 |
| If it were fun | 46 |
| If there was a guarantee of security | 56 |
| If the privacy of your personal and banking details was guaranteed | 62 |
| If there were a high street store nearby to deal with orders and refunds etc. | 62 |
| If the goods were delivered directly to your home | 67 |
| None of these | 7 |
| Don't know | 2 |