The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) reported in April 2002 that 25% of small companies upsell on their main websites whereas 47% of large companies do the same. A whopping 81% of large companies use their website for cross-selling by targeting offline buyers online. The July 2002 Industrial Purchasing Barometer from Thomas Register finds that 32% of buyers say direct sales have had the best influence on ROI, compared to just 15% saying the same about the net.

Although year-to-year growth in online sales of home and garden products has slowed from 130 percent in the first quarter of 2002 to 78 percent in the second quarter of 2002, the category remains an important growth driver in e-commerce.

According to a nationwide survey by the Cambridge Consumer Credit Index reported in Newstream, 51%of all Americans are planning to take a vacation more than 75 miles from home, and 23% are charging their vacations on credit cards. 65% will pay for their vacations out of checking or savings accounts and 1% will either borrow money from friends or withdraw funds from investment accounts.

With travel planning soaring on the Internet, here's the top sites as measured by Nielsen//NetRatings for the last week in July. And, Hotmail and Passport are close to even in the Telecom/Internet Service Site scores.

According to Veronis Suhler Stevenson's annual predictions, media advertising is expected to end the year up 2.9%, to $177.1 billion, Monday. And in 2003 the company believes media advertising will post a 5.3% gain, to $186.5 billion. In total, media and communications spending is expected to recover by year's end and finish up 4.8%, to $610 billion, the report said.

In a recent article from MediaPost, it was reasonably noted that "the Pew Research Center has quantified what we already knew: Consumers are 'annoyed' with the media. The average viewer doesn’t trust their news, and probably doesn’t trust the company and brand being advertised in the middle." The July Pew Research Center survey shows that the public's grades for news organizations have tumbled since November, on measures ranging from professionalism and patriotism to compassion and morality.

For marketers reaching out to savvy investors, the Internet is drawing more attention. Though the third annual Nationwide Financial High Income Survey, summarized by CyberAtlas, "reflects that the relationship between advisor and client is irreplaceable and most valuable, the Internet is significantly growing in popularity with high-income clients as a tool for education and information," said Michael Butler, senior vice president of Nationwide Financial Distributors, Inc. "They clearly rely upon it as a supplement to their in-person financial advisor."

Google isn't at the top in spite of its ease of use! This week's Nielsen//NetRatings data includes Search Engines, Community Sites, and Special Occasions Locations.

MeasureCast reported that JazzFM became the top Internet radio station measured by MeasureCast during the week of July 15. The London-based station edged out long-time MeasureCast Top 25 chart topper Virgin Radio, which has enjoyed the number one position much of this year. JazzFM streamed 1,724 more hours of music than Virgin radio, and enjoyed 2,974 more listeners during the week.

According to the Jupiter Consumer Survey Report, Retail 2002: Redefining the Online Retail Consumer Research Highlights, no single investment will allow multichannel retailers to build comprehensive profiles of their customers’ multichannel shopping behavior. Instead of seeking this Holy Grail, retailers must settle for a combination of new and old tactics that will help provide broad guidance as to how their customers interact across channels.