Report:
More U.S. Households Shopping Online
Significantly
more U.S. households are buying products on the Web, with the percentage
jumping to 34 percent from 24 percent just a year ago, according to a
survey released Wednesday by NFO Research. The
study also found that while older Americans are buying online in
ever-increasing numbers, the online shopping scene is still dominated by
those under the age of 35. “More
Americans in all age and income groups are buying online, but Internet
activity is still heavily driven by the young and the affluent,” said
Lynn Franco, Director of the Consumer Research Center. Age Matters When
it comes to online shopping, age does matter. According to the survey, the
group most likely to shop online are adults aged 25 to 34, with 55 percent
of that sector purchasing something online this year, compared to 40
percent a year ago. Among 35 to 44 year-olds, 45 percent had shopped
online, up from 33 percent last year. The
segment least likely to make an online purchase are consumers 65 and
older, with just 10 percent having spent online, compared to 8 percent
last year. Pacific Region Shoppers Lead
Way Where
someone lives -- and how much he or she earns -- also affects online
purchasing behavior, according to NFO’s research. The
NFO study found that U.S. residents in the Pacific region were the most
likely to shop online, with 42 percent of those households having shopped
online this year, compared to 31 percent last year. The
percentage of online shoppers in the Mountain states is also reaching new
heights, with nearly 38 percent of residents in those states making online
purchases this year, up from last year’s 26 percent. In
New England, 29 percent of households shopped online, compared to 30
percent last year. More Disposable Income on
the Web Not
surprisingly, more U.S. households with annual income in excess of $50,000
a year made online purchases this year than last -- 53 percent this year,
up from 40 percent last year. The
other income brackets also saw increased percentages of households
spending online. About 35 percent of households earning between $35,000
and $49,999 made online purchases this year, up from 27 percent. Among
households earning $25,000 to $34,999, the percentage making online
purchases also increased, from less than 18 percent last year to 29
percent this year. What’s Selling Books
were the No. 1 online purchase for the second year in a row, with a
approximately 45 percent of respondents having purchased at least one book
online both this year and last year. Travel-related purchases climbed to
No. 2, claiming the money of nearly 30 percent of consumers this year, up
from less than 26 percent, NFO’s research revealed. The
third most popular item on the Web -- both this year and last -- was CDs.
In both NFO surveys, 27 percent of respondents bought CDs online. Slipping
into the No. 4 slot was computer hardware and software, with 26 percent of
respondents purchasing a computer-related item from the Web, down from 32
percent last year, NFO said. Spending Patterns Online
consumers are spending slightly more this year than last, but remain
conservative. This year, 28 percent of Americans said their largest
purchase was $50 or less (US$), in contrast to 34 percent last year who
fell into that price bracket. An
additional 33 percent of households, only a slight improvement from last
year, said they spent between $50 and $199 online. Slightly more than 10
percent of Web shoppers spent between $200 and $299 online, up from less
than 9 percent. Almost
11 percent of respondents said they had spent more than $1,000 online, up
from 8 percent. Source:
E-commerceTimes.com http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/4796.html#story-start |