The average online consumer is no longer the stereotypical "Internet geek," and the Web is no longer the virtual playground of well-educated males and technology aficionados, according to a new Report
from the Yankee Group, Interactive Consumer Survey (IAC) 2000. The major trends identified in the Report illustrate a major shift in the online consumer population. Thirty-three percent of today's
online U.S. households have been online for less than one year and 60% of these new home-based Internet subscribers are women. And many of these new online consumers earn average or below-average
annual incomes. In addition, the survey results reveal that the Internet has become an integral part of the daily lives of household users. Eighty-seven percent of those surveyed said they log on at
home at least once a day. "The results of the Interactive Consumer Survey (IAC) are significant because it shows that the Internet has begun to reach into the mass consumer market in the United
States," said Lisa Melsted, an analyst in the Yankee Group's Internet Market Strategies Planning Service. "We're just now beginning to cross the divide between those segments of the population that
have been deemed the technology haves and have-nots. What's more, for those consumers online, the Internet is becoming as much of a daily habit at home as turning on the television." The Yankee
Group believes that consumer adoption of online access may be due in part to factors such as the decline of PC prices over the past few years, as well as the proliferation of affordable or free ISP
services. According to IAC 2000, 47% of newcomers have a free Internet account. In addition to determining current online demographics, the Report also examined the activities of online consumers.
It found that surfing is a virtual myth - most consumers are going online with a specific purpose in mind, and only 3% of at-home users "always" spend their time using random sources. Over 50% of IAC
respondents "always" or "usually" use the same online sources both at home and at work. E-mail, however, is still the killer application being the most widely used application on the Internet and
the first thing that people do when they go online. Sixty-eight percent of respondents rated e-mail as their top online activity. Also, the report found that E-commerce is catching on with online
consumers. According to the survey, shopping is the most popular e-commerce activity online - ranking high above online banking, stock trading, and paying bills online. Consumers primarily look to
the Web for information. Education and learning ranked second only to e-mail as the top online activity in our survey. News gathering activities ranked high in the survey. The Web is quickly becoming
the preferred source for quick information gathering and research.
- Anya Khait
