No Surprise Here: Rising Fuel Costs Lead Consumers to Shop More At Home, Survey Shows

Rising fuel prices are naturally affecting consumer buying behavior. A recent survey conducted by research firm Harris Interactive for returns management company Newgistics reveals that 25 percent of adults are more likely to shop from home due to the increased cost of gas. Other data offered by the survey include the following:
* 50 percent are curtailing discretionary spending due to fuel costs.

Changes to discretionary spending include:
* 85 percent are cooking at home rather than going out.
* 55 percent are renting movies rather than seeing movies in theaters.
* 25 percent are shopping at home instead of shopping in stores.

The barriers to hinder shopping from home include:
* the inability to touch or try on merchandise, cited by 79 percent of adults;
* costs associated with shipping fees, cited by 71 percent; and
* inconvenient returns, cited by 55 percent.

For more information, go to www.newgistics.com/news/pr/press_06.07.24.html.