The Development of Online Shopping and Finding Information About Products in the Visegrad Four Countries

Today, the importance of e-commerce is undeniable and is even growing. In today's digital age, it is common for consumers to search for information about products on the Internet before making a purchase. The paper evaluates the course of the use of the Internet to search for information about products with regard to online shopping in the countries of the Visegrad Four (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) between 2012 and 2022. The paper provides a theoretical basis for the issue of online shopping and information search and describes the current state of online shopping in the countries of the Visegrad Four. Based on data from the Eurostat database, the paper points to the most significant findings in the development of online shopping and information search in the countries under review during the monitored years. The Czech Republic recorded the highest share of information searches in 2012 and 2022, while Poland achieved the highest growth in this regard. Slovakia recorded the highest share of online shoppers in 2012 and the Czech Republic in 2022, while Hungary achieved the highest growth in this regard. It can be assumed that both searching for information about products on the Internet and online shopping will growin the coming years, mainly due to the advantages and uniqueness of digital technologies.