Consumers Opt for Online This Holiday Season
According to the third annual Mindset of the Multi-Channel Shopper Holiday Survey from the e-commerce consulting firm the e-tailing group, sponsored by e-commerce specialist ATG, the Internet has surpassed the retail store as the preferred channel for consumers to purchase holiday gifts. Forty nine percent of the survey’s respondents said they plan to do their holiday gift buying online this year vs. 44 percent who plan to do so in-store. The recent online survey polled more than 1,000 adults who shop online four or more times a year, and spend $500-plus annually. Here are some more findings of the survey:
* saving time was the most popular reason given for shopping online, with 88 percent of the respondents citing it, followed by locating hard-to-find products (84 percent), greater selection and avoiding the crowds at the mall (both 83 percent), and saving money (80 percent);
* 52 percent of the respondents said they plan to buy fewer holiday gifts this year, with the average number of gifts expected to be down from 16-plus last year to 11-15 this year;
* 72 percent said they plan to research products online prior to purchasing, up from 65 percent last year;
* 91 percent expect to purchase the same number or somewhat more gifts online this year, the same as last year’s spending level;
* 78 percent of those surveyed cited the high cost of shipping as their No. 1 reason for not buying more online;
* 42 percent of the respondents said that gift cards will account for between 11 percent and 50 percent of their online holiday spending vs. 30 percent last year; and
* 35 percent of those surveyed said they’ve shopped online from someone else’s wish list 3-plus times this year, up from 25 percent in 2007.
For more information, go to www.e-tailing.com.
- People:
- ATG