Internet to Influence Almost 30 Percent of Holiday Purchases

Consumers will use the Internet for about 29 percent of their shopping this year, according to a recently released National Retail Federation survey conducted by BIGResearch. This includes both browsing and buying behavior. These shoppers are expected to spend an average of $791 on holiday shopping. Other data revealed by the survey:

* 47.1 percent of consumers plan to make at least one purchase online this year;
* 88.7 percent regularly or occasionally examine products online before purchasing in a store;
* 23.6 percent start their product research on Google;
* 7.2 percent start their research on Yahoo!;
* 5.5 percent start their research on Amazon; and
* 3.7 percent start their research on eBay.

Source: The NRF 2006 “Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey,” available at http://www.nrf.com/content/default.asp?folder=press/release2006&file=onlineholidayshopping1006.htm