More Consumers Making Purchases Online

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More Consumers Making Purchases Online

By: Mike Sachoff
2008-11-14

Online retail continues to be the one bright spot in the economy despite the myriad of challenges consumers and retailers face.

The majority (78%) of U.S. adults have made an online purchase in the previous six months according to Nielsen's Online @Plan report.

The top online transaction category was travel, with 38 percent of adult online consumers making at least one travel purchase on the Web in the past six months.

Credit card account management and online banking place second and third, with 36 percent and 35 percent of consumers conducting transactions, respectively. The Nielsen report is based on a quarterly survey of close to 36,000 U.S. Internet users age 18 and older.

Nielsen found that more than 40 million unique users (28% of the online audience) purchased at least one item of clothing online in the past six months. In addition 26 percent purchased a book and 18 percent booked a hotel reservation.

Other online categories that ranked high included auction purchases (16%), event tickets (14%), insurance (11%), and computer software also 11 percent.

The top online retailers over the past six months include eBay (49.2 million visitors), Amazon (48.2 million), Wal-Mart (25.3 million), Target (23.8 million) and Netflix (14.2 million).

"Most consumers see online retail as a primary benefit of the Internet," said Nachi Lolla, research director, commerce, Nielsen Online. "The sheer convenience of being able to comparison shop from your home or office has become all but irresistible. Possible early concerns about online security have been sufficiently addressed, and consistent on-time delivery and reasonable shipping costs have bolstered consumer confidence."

"The challenge for retailers is no longer how to lure shoppers online, but how to differentiate their brand among all others. Heading into this competitive holiday shopping season, selection, price and customer service are the key areas retailers can shine."

View All Articles by Mike Sachoff

About the Author:
Mike is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.


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