A study from Rakuten has shown that consumers from around the world are more willing to carry out safe shopping online with retail sites based in other countries than at any point in the past.

58 per cent of those questioned in the study confirmed their commitment to snapping up products from overseas outlets using the internet, so long as they were given additional information about the kinds of brands which are commonly known and respected in other regions.

This suggests that cross-border marketing efforts should be increased as brands which are established in one country attempt to court shoppers who may be encountering their products online elsewhere in the world.

Brand familiarity breeds trust, and in the e-commerce ecosystem it is certainly important for prospective customers to be certain that the items they are ordering are of a high quality before they commit to a purchase.

The under-35s are most interested in international shopping, with around two-thirds of people in this age group admitting that they are on their way towards increasing the number of products they order from overseas retailers.

As this study was conducted using respondents from many nations, it was also possible for analysts to come to conclusions about the popularity of cross-border online shopping in specific regions. Asia-Pacific was found to be the most in tune with this trend, with 65 per cent of consumers saying they were looking to boost their involvement with non-domestic retailers and brands.

Another interesting fact thrown up by the study is that two out of three consumers tend to look at two or fewer brands when searching for a specific product. This indicates that brand loyalty is seriously strong and efforts to draw shoppers away from their most trusted brands will be challenging.