British consumers are not consulting online reviews and blogs before purchasing PC software. That’s the key finding of a survey Softwareload.co.uk recently commissioned with research group YouGov*. YouGov quizzed more than 2,000 online Britons during January 2010 into their software buying habits and a massive 79 per cent admitted that they do not read online reviews or blogs prior to making software purchases.

We recommend that you check out at least three product reviews prior to buying and also make sure that the software you buy is compatible with your operating system. Hats off to the clever people in Wales, as our study found that the Welsh were more likely to read a blog or online review before buying than other parts of the United Kingdom.

Show me the money

Our study also found that one in five consumers (18 per cent) have lost money by not moving software when switching to a new PC – seven per cent believe that they may have lost more than £100 in this way during 2009. It’s crucial you know how to transfer software if you’ve not got the disk to hand. Sometimes this can be done with a USB memory stick but often you’ll need your licence number to use it on a new machine. Softwareload customers can benefit from our online secure storage service, where products can be stored for a year online and downloaded onto new machines whenever required. This saves paying for the same product more than once!

Man and machine

It turns out men (27 per cent) are more likely to research a software product on a blog or online review than women (16 per cent). Men (26 per cent) are also keener to download and install software than women (15 per cent), our survey found. We found that directly downloading and installing software from the Internet is narrowly more popular (21 per cent) among the Great British public than buying physical packages (20 per cent), with younger demographics favouring software downloads more than older generations.

Whatever your preference for buying software, do make sure you check the product out online first. If you want to learn more about how to securely purchase and download software from the Internet, please read our article on software downloads.

* All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2,094 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27-29 January, 2010.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).