{"id":80079,"date":"2017-03-28T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2017-03-28T06:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=e888b015967aef898bf959333c2a1c52"},"modified":"2017-03-28T06:00:04","modified_gmt":"2017-03-28T06:00:04","slug":"press-release-digital-comparison-tools-could-offer-even-greater-benefits-cma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=80079","title":{"rendered":"Press release: Digital comparison tools could offer even greater benefits – CMA"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA<\/abbr>) has today published an update paper<\/a> on its market study into digital comparison tools (DCTs<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n

DCTs<\/abbr> enable consumers to compare products and services on quality as well as price, and help them switch between suppliers. These range from price comparison websites to smartphone apps.<\/p>\n

The paper<\/a> unveils a comprehensive consumer survey into DCTs<\/abbr>. This shows that overall DCT<\/abbr> users think these tools work well, making it easier to make informed choices and save money. Although DCTs<\/abbr> are still a relatively new way of purchasing, the survey indicates that consumers are generally confident in the way they use them, and many use more than one site. The majority consider that individual DCTs<\/abbr> do not feature all of the suppliers in each market.<\/p>\n

DCTs<\/abbr> have become an important way for many people to buy services such as insurance and utilities. For example the CMA<\/abbr>\u2019s survey<\/a> showed that in the past year 84% of people looking for car insurance used a comparison site, 67% looking for energy, and 52% for broadband.<\/p>\n

The survey found that only 11% of recent users believed that sites covered all suppliers, and that almost two-thirds (64%) of people using a DCT<\/abbr> visited more than one site. Many consumers appear to use DCTs<\/abbr> for research, with 44% of those who didn\u2019t buy directly through a DCT<\/abbr> saying that they used the information they had gathered from a DCT<\/abbr> to help them negotiate a better deal with a provider.<\/p>\n

Users explain they use DCTs<\/abbr> to find a good deal, save time, and research available options, and more than 9 out of 10 say they are satisfied with the service they receive.<\/p>\n

The CMA<\/abbr>\u2019s update, however, identifies 4 areas of possible concern, which will form the focus for the second phase of the market study.<\/p>\n

These are:<\/p>\n