Sunday, November 05, 2006

Internet Takes Over Window-Shopping

29% Holiday Shopping Goes Online

From browsing to buying, the Internet will play a larger role than ever in holiday shopping this year as almost 88.7%of consumers regularly or occasionally examine products on the Internet before buying in a store, according to a new survey conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch.

Shoppers, who are expected to spend $791.10 each this year on holiday merchandise, said they will use the Internet for an average of one-fourth (28.9%) of their shopping. Though nearly half (47.1%) of consumers plan to make at least one holiday purchase online this year, up from 36.0% three years ago, many will also use the Internet to browse before heading to stores to buy. Researching merchandise online (browsed online before buying in a store within the last 90 days):
  • electronics (39.3%)
  • apparel (20.0%)
  • appliances (19.6%)
  • home improvement items (18.0%)
  • medicines, vitamins and supplements (16.2%)
  • shoes (16.1%)

The survey found that shoppers use a variety of websites to research and compare products. Popular places for shoppers to begin searching for merchandise availability, prices and product specifics include:

  • Google.com (23.6%)
  • Yahoo.com (7.2%)
  • Amazon.com (5.5%)
  • eBay (3.7%)

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