• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, July 20, 2005

New research from The Media Audit shows 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. to be the most popular "daypart" among online shoppers who made 12 or more purchases during the past year. "The data shows online shoppers generally get started at 8 a.m. and keep shopping until 10 p.m. with just a slight slowdown around the lunch hour," says Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics.  "At 10 p.m. there is a serious decline in online purchasing and at midnight it is even more pronounced," adds Jordan. 

The collective adult population of the 87 metropolitan markets surveyed regularly by The Media Audit exceeds 137 million:

• 93.9 million logged on during an average month
• 21.4 million made 12 or more purchases during the past year
• 41.2 million made 5 or more purchases
• 68.6 million made at least one purchase
• 48.3 million logged on at work and 29.1 percent or 14.1 million said they made 12 or more purchases during the year
• 85.3 million logged on at home and 23.8 percent or 20.3 million made 12 or more purchases 

Affluence has a very definite impact on Internet shopping.12 or more purchases were made by:

• Slightly more than 18% of those earning $35,000 to $49,999
• 21% of those earning $50,000 to $74,999
• 25.7% of those earning $75,000 to $99,999.
• 34% of those with incomes of $100,000 to $149,000
• 45.1% of those earning $150,000 or more

Age groupings were much more revealing than were the income figures:

• 9.7 percent of the 12-time purchasers were under the age of 25
• 52.4 percent were between the ages of 25 to 44.

When internet dayparts are examined, 30.2 percent of men who logged on between 8 and 11 a.m. made 12 or more purchases in the past year. Between midnight and 8 a.m. 35.9 percent of the men who access during this daypart made 12 or more purchases.  Of the women who logged on between 8 and 11 a.m., 25.4 percent made 12 or more purchases and move up to 30.2 percent between midnight and 8 a.m.

The daypart examples offered here, says Jordan," are simply a glimpse of the volume of data that has been compiled to produce an understanding of dayparts and what they mean to advertisers.

For more data, see The Media Audit.