How Much Will Shoppers Spend Online?

  • November 14, 2002
U.S. consumers planning to buy gifts over the Internet expect to spend an average of $235 for online shopping this holiday season, according to a survey by GartnerG2 a research service of Gartner, Inc. Online spending by those consumers will account for more than a quarter of the total $800 they plan to spend on gifts. In September 2002, GartnerG2 surveyed 1,317 adults in the United States by telephone to gauge their spending intentions this holiday season. According to the survey, 98% of consumers who bought holiday gifts online in 2001 plan to do so in 2002. According to the survey, 58% of consumers planning to buy gifts online considered as very important the ability to find what they wanted in a catalog and then order it via the Web. While factors such as shopping any time of the day or night and avoiding crowds and long lines at stores were cited as motivating factors for consumers to shop online, consumers cited having gifts sent directly to recipients and finding gift suggestions and guides online as the least important factors driving online shopping habits. Worldwide online holiday sales in 2002 are projected to total $38.2 billion, a 48.4% increase from 2001. North America consumers are expected to spend $15.7 billion online.
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