Trust, Satisfaction Up for Web Consumers

By Gabrielle Mosquera

It seems that at a time when U.S. consumers increasingly flock online, they're also happier when doing so.

The most recently released Consumer Internet Barometer from The Conference Board found that U.S. consumer satisfaction with Internet activities increased 41 percent in 2002 to 42 percent in 2003. Additionally, more than 27 percent of consumers trust the safety of their primary Internet activities, a 2-percent increase from 2002.

However, not all activities benefit equally. Consumers report being most satisfied with personal research (which saw an approximately 15-percent increase) and work-related activities (an 11-percent increase).

The personal research category holds several notable findings. Approximately 38 percent of online consumers claim personal communication as the primary reason they use the Internet. However, only 62 percent of these consumers log on daily, compared to the 70 percent of consumers who log on daily primarily for work-related activities.

Online retail findings reaffirm what most Web merchants discover on their own: Recent buyers are likely to buy again not long after their first purchase.

The research reports that consumers who bought online within the past three months are more than 80 percent likely to buy online again during the next three months, while that likelihood plummets to approximately 20 percent if no purchase was made.

To purchase a full copy of the Consumer Internet Barometer, visit www.consumerinternetbarometer.us or e-mail info@consumerinternetbarometer.us.