The number of Bulgarians who have made online purchases more than once a month in the last year went up two times, according to a poll of "Gemius Bulgaria."

The poll has been commissioned by the "Allegro Group," a retail company with business in Central and Eastern Europe.

In 2010 Bulgarian internet shoppers were 22% of the population, compared to 13% in 2009.

7% of consumers make 5 or more purchases a month and 54% of Bulgarians have used the net to make purchases. The number of those who never buy online or do it just once a year is down.

From November 2009, to November 2010, consumers, who don't use the internet to shop, show increased interest in internet offers for toys, children clothing, food items and furniture.

83% of the purchases were made in online stores. 58% of Bulgarian internet buyers favor local stores; 38% also use foreign websites.

Internet shoppers actively research and compare prices in order to find the most lucrative deal.

Men are more active than women; so are younger people – nearly 45% of online shoppers are between 36 and 45 years of age. 13% of them have a monthly income of BGN 1 000 to BGN 2 000.

Bulgarian internet shoppers pay through bank transfers and credit cards.

Purchases via cell phones are still rare, and mostly made by people between the ages of 16 and 25 and people with higher income - over BGN 1 000 a month.

The poll has been conducted among 800 Bulgarian internet users.