Consumers in the US are increasingly using the internet to research and purchase items online, with a new survey from Burst! Media claiming that out of 6,000 web users aged 18 or over, three-quarters of them are online shoppers.
According to the study, 62% of online shoppers say that the internet is their primary source of information when evaluating and comparing products, while 10% use newspapers and magazines and just 5.7% use television.
Burst! also found that as the respondent’s household income increased, so did the likelihood that they used the internet as their primary shopping comparison tool.
Over the Christmas season, 83% of shoppers say they will use the internet to research gifts, with 44% saying they will use the internet more than they did last year.
Commenting on the researchs findings, Jarvis chief executive officer of Burst! said: “As our data shows, the internet reaches a great many people who are poised to make buying decisions. The trick for advertisers is to determine how and where to reach them before those decisions get made.”
The increase in popularity of internet commerce gives advertisers a strong channel to target their audience through and indeed online advertising expenditure has seen substantial growth over the last few years.
In the UK, estimates from the UK IAB and PwC reveal that online adspend hit £490.8 million in the first half of 2005, forecasting the media to pass £1 billion by the end of the year (see UK Online Adspend To Pass £1 Billion).
The latest predictions from ZenithOptimedia confirm the internet’s strong growth, claiming that internet revenue will rise at three times the rate of all other media, with the agency revising its projections upwards by 0.3% points to 5% for 2005 (see Zenith Revises Global Adspend Up To 5.2% For 2005).
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