• by Masha Geller , July 18, 2002

It’s no secret that Americans are shopping and spending more money online than they did last year, but it’s not because of safety concerns and fears of crowded places. Of 2,723 consumers recently surveyed in a Yellow Pages Research Institute study, almost half said they have shopped online more often and 40% have shopped closer to home - mainly for reasons of time and convenience.

Joel Raphael, director of the Yellow Pages Research Institute, said, "We expected to find that people would make an effort to avoid public shopping places because of increased safety concerns. Instead, we found that the increased use of the Internet, as well as close-by stores, is mainly a function of time and convenience."

When asked how their shopping habits have changed in the last year with regard to purchasing items such as clothes, appliances, or gifts, 47% of respondents said they used the Internet more often; 8% have used the telephone more often; and 16% have used mail-order catalogs more often. Of those who use the Internet more often, only 1% claimed safety as their main reason. Of those who use the telephone or catalogs more often, only 6% and 5%, respectively, cited safety concerns as their main reason.

Asked directly whether safety concerns have caused them to avoid shopping malls, retail galleries, or other public places with retail stores, consumers responded with a decisive, "No." Although 40% have shopped closer to home for some things, fully 77% said they have not avoided public shopping spaces, while 5% said they regularly try to avoid them, 6% said they avoided them on several occasions, and 12% said they avoided them on maybe one or two occasions.

"Clearly, the American people have not bowed to terrorist threats - they are still shopping, buying, and living their lives," added Raphael. "Consumers have not changed their shopping habits due to such threats, which is great news for retailers and the economy in general."

Sounds like the Web is living up to at least one of its promises after all.