Survey: One-Third of Holiday Shoppers Prefer E-commerce

From one of Retail Traffic's sister publications, Multichannel Merchant, comes a report indicating that more than one-third of holiday shoppers preferred to both research and buy products online.

Larry Freed, president/CEO of ForeSee Results, says the survey results reflect advances in technology that are making consumers more willing to shop online than in the past. For example, product reviews on consumer Websites and alternate views of products are encouraging more customers to research and shop on the Web.

"Shoppers who prefer to shop and research in the store expect the Web to be a window onto the offline world," Freed adds. "They assume that they can go online and find out which merchandise is available offline and how much it costs in the store. If they notice discrepancies, or if their customer service needs aren't met, their satisfaction will suffer."