Consumers Sing Praises Of Online Shopping

The poll of 1,126 online buyers was carried out on the first two days of December and almost 90% of those questioned professed themselves satisfied with the purchasing process. Over 60% said they were “very satisfied” with their experience and a further 27% claimed to be “somewhat satisfied”.

Less than 3% of those surveyed expressed dissatisfaction with online buying during the holiday season while 10% were noncommittal.

The eHoliday Mood Study also polled 80 online retailers to find out what had been the most popular methods for driving sales in the run-up to Christmas. Product promotion appears to have been particularly successful with 39% of those questioned claiming that it had been effective. Gift idea centres (35%) and the recommendation of certain items (29%) also seem to have been persuasive tactics.

It was projected in advance that US consumers would spend almost $17 billion online during the 2003 holiday season (see Festive Online Sales To Surge, Says Jupiter).