Online shopping has more than doubled in two years, according to Australian research by Roy Morgan Single Source.

Figures for the year to last March show use of the internet for any kind of online activity – from communication, to searching for information, to shopping or entertainment – has increased by 21 per cent. While most use the internet for communications, ‘marketplace’ activities of ‘buying, selling, and shopping’ is up by 167 per cent since 2008, to more than 40 per cent or 7.8 million.

More than 14.2 million Australians aged 14+ now do some kind of online activity in an average four week period, according to the data. The most popular related activities (in order) were making an online purchase (5.5 million), researching a product or service to buy (nearly 5.1 million), and other pre-purchase research (such as reading ratings/reviews of products/services, reading online catalogues or classified ads, and visiting price comparison websites, 3.4 million).

Although still relatively, the number of people who bought something as a result of advice from a social network has increased by 19 per cent on last year.

Morgan research media industry director George Pesutto says as the reach and influence of social media continues to grow, it can be expected that this will also continue to increase.

“The number of people using the internet to research products and services represents a huge opportunity for brands,” he says. “Online is now a key source for consumers seeking information on products or services to buy, and for many it is now the destination for all pre-purchase research.”