New York June 17, 2002 Supply chain professionals' satisfaction levels with online purchasing have nearly tripled over the past three years, and nearly 60 percent of buyers plan to increase their online spending this year, according to a survey by Thomas Register.
In the May Industrial Purchasing Barometer (IPB) survey, Thomas Register found 32 percent of industrial buyers responding to the poll said they were very satisfied with online purchasing today, and another 57 percent were moderately satisfied. Just 12 percent of the respondents said they were not satisfied.
Those figures signal a marked change over survey results three years ago, when 59 percent said they were unsatisfied, 33 percent were moderately satisfied and just 8 percent said they were very satisfied.
"Speed and access to information, products and services are key for companies today to be competitive, especially in the current economic environment," said Ruth Hurd, publisher of Thomas Register. "Its obvious that buyers recognize the advantage online purchasing offers and are committed to realizing its benefits."
Meanwhile, 59 percent of buyers in the most recent survey indicated they would be increasing their online purchasing this year. Seven percent said they would be purchasing somewhat to much less online this year, while 35 percent foresaw no change over the previous year.
Thomas Register conducts its IPB survey randomly among its pool of 760,000 opt-in online users. Respondents from the manufacturing and engineering industries, wholesale trade, distribution and government buyers, participated in the survey, which asked them to rate their satisfaction with online purchasing today versus three years ago, and whether they plan to increase online purchasing this year.
Thomas Register uses its monthly IPB Barometer to track the changing attitudes and behavior of the industrial purchasing community.
