Digital content consumers would welcome the option to buy and sell second-hand content
Over half (64 per cent) of consumers who had purchased digital content such as films, music or e-books have done so due to the closure of physical shops, with two out of three (65 per cent) purchasers said to be interested in being able to sell some of their purchases and 57 per cent interested in purchasing cheaper content second-hand.
Often blamed for the demise of retailers, such as HMV, which faced financial troubles at the beginning of this year, The Download on Digital Report from WorldPay has shown that consumers are increasingly downloading content as they do not have physical stores to visit, with 75 per cent of online consumers being left frustrated when unable to buy content using their favourite payment method.
According to the report, the demand to start being able to sell off second-hand digital content is a sign of a maturing customer base.
The survey of more the 11,400 consumers found that of those who had purchased digital content or video games within the last 12 months, Chinese consumers had the biggest appetite for selling on content, with 82 per cent keen to resell. This was followed by South Korea at 78 per cent and then India (66 per cent). South Korean consumers were found to be most likely to be interested in purchasing second hand content (70 per cent), followed by Americans and consumers in India with 60 per cent and 57 per cent respectively.
Almost half (49 per cent) of UK consumers were interested in reselling digital content with 55 per cent keen to buy second-hand digital products.
“As the digital content and video game industries evolve following massive growth and the closure of physical stores, we are seeing a growing demand from consumers to sell on or exchange content they have purchased. This issue is not going away. Despite the legalities currently surrounding ownership of content, the industry needs to do more to educate consumers on what they can legally do with the content they’ve purchased, and identify ways they can meet these demands,” commented Karl MacGregor VP of digital at WorldPay.
The report also found that those who purchased video games were annoyed when a game purchased on one device could not be accessed using other devices – of those surveyed 84 per cent said they wished to be able to use games on multiple devices with over half (55 per cent) claiming they would be willing to pay for this functionality.