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AOL Shopping Survey Finds High Gas Prices Provoke More Online Holiday Shopping
Dulles, VA - November 22, 2005 - Keep the car in park and log onto the Web. That's what online shoppers are thinking this holiday season, according to AOL's 2005 "Online Shopping Cities" survey, which shows that Tampa, San Diego and Philadelphia top the list of the Most Wired Shopping Cities in the US this year for the first time.
Pressed by an unstable economy and high energy costs, online shoppers' overall holiday budgets will take a hit of more than 7% this year, falling to $526 from $565 last year. Yet the survey of 6,239 consumers who research and/or make purchases online found that 52% plan to do even more buying online this year. Respondents plan to spend nearly half of their budgets ($254) on Internet purchases, with Books, Apparel and Music/Videos as the most popular gift categories.
Of the respondents who said they are planning to do more shopping online this season, 49% said it's because "high gas prices make it too expensive to drive around to different retail locations."
"Even though gas prices have been declining since their peak in early September, consumers are still feeling the emotional and financial pinch, and they clearly see shopping online as a great way to conserve cash they spend on loved ones this holiday season," commented Bob Hayes, Vice President and General Manager of E-Commerce, America Online. "And of course, shoppers continue to benefit from the convenience and flexibility always associated with buying over the Internet."
In addition to high gas prices, survey respondents who said they will be doing even more shopping online this year, cited the ability to:
*shop all hours of the day and night (81%)
*save time (76%)
*avoid crowds (75%)
*research products (54%)
*comparison shop (52%)
Fifty-percent also said they are inspired by the free shipping that more online retailers will be offering this year. When it comes to how much money online shoppers will be spending this holiday season overall, 70% said their budgets will be influenced by factors such as the unstable economy, high gas and energy prices, the job market, as well as world events like hurricane Katrina and the war on Iraq .
Tampa, San Diego and Philadelphia Emerge as Top Online Shopping Cities; San Francisco Drops Off Top 10 List for First Time
The annual AOL "Online Shopping Cities" survey found that both Tampa (number 1) and San Diego (number 2) rose to the top of the 2005 list of online shoppers because of big online spending throughout the year, and Philadelphia moved up 25 spots to the number 3 ranking as a result of frequent online researching throughout the year. The rankings, comparing regional online shopping patterns in the top 30 markets, were based on how often respondents research online and buy online, and how much they report spending online in a given month.
Online shoppers in the top three cities reported spending an average of $236 per month on online purchases. That's 43% higher than online shoppers spend in the bottom three cities - Indianapolis, Orlando, Charlotte ($165).
Other regional findings:
*San Francisco dropped considerably in the rankings, down to number 22 and off the top 5 list for the first time in the survey's four-year history.
*Chicago and Pittsburgh made the top 10 list for the first time this year, both showing marked increases in the amount of money online shoppers spend per month on the Internet.
"This year's survey shows how truly mainstream online shopping has become," added Hayes. "When we conducted our first Online Shopping Cities survey in 2001, we were a little surprised to find that traditional shopping meccas like San Francisco and New York topped the list. Over the years, we've seen more and more mid-level cities breaking into the top ten, which goes to show that online shopping is no longer a novelty, it has become a part of everyday shopping behavior no matter where you live."
The Top "Online Shopping Cities" based on a composite ranking of how often respondents research and purchase online, and how much they spend online per month:
2005 Ranking and City 2004 Ranking 1. Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota 23 2. San Diego 3 3. Philadelphia 28 4. Houston 17 5. Miami/Ft. Lauderdale 9 6. Washington, DC 7 7. New York 10 8. Dallas/Ft. Worth 5 9. Chicago 13 10. Pittsburgh 27
* Note to Editors: City-specific statistics are also available for researching, purchasing and spending online, as well as general online shopping behavior.
Details of the AOL Fourth Annual "Online Shopping Cities" Survey:
We're in the
Updated : Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:28:30 GMT+00:00
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age of sophisticated online shoppers, who are also willing to take on more complex shopping tasks.
>75% have been shopping online for 3 years or more; 11% for 10 years or more.
>65% have comparison shopped to find the best prices.
>63% have tracked packages online.
>54% have used promotional codes or coupons when making a purchase online.
>One-third (33%) have consulted online reviews of products and retailers before purchasing, and one-fifth (20%) have written their own reviews online.
>One-third (34%) shop for luxury or big-tickets items online. >On average, shoppers are willing to spend about $1,060 on a single item they purchase online.
>For the first time, books (45%) and clothing (44%) will overtake music/videos (42%) as the most popular holiday gifts purchased online this year.
The online shopping experience has improved and it better meets the needs of shoppers.
>52% of online shoppers plan do to even more shopping on the Internet this year because there are no closing hours (81%), there are less crowds (75%), and it's easier to research items (54%) and comparison shop (52%).
>The overwhelming majority (86%) say the online shopping experience has improved over the past year. Of those, 66% cite the ability to research products/services across many different sites/stores, and 48% cite more brand and product selection online.
>91% say the free shipping offers available online are very or somewhat important to them.
The ability to easily research products and services online is a more important factor this holiday season.
>Online shoppers say nearly half (46%) of their holiday purchases (online and offline) will be influenced by research they do online.
>60% say that during the holiday season, the ability to research online is more valuable than making purchases online.
>Most (31%) describe themselves as researchers and comparison shoppers.
>While 85% say they make less impulse purchases when they shop online, nearly 40% still admit they are more of an impulse buyer during the holiday season vs. the rest of the year.
Methodology: This national survey was conducted from October 19 - October 31, 2005 through Digital Marketing Services, Inc. (DMS). A total of 6,239 Web users (approximately 200 from each of the top 30 DMAs) were interviewed, including both online browsers/purchasers and non-browsers/purchasers. The screening qualifications for this study were males and females aged 18 and above who research/browse or purchase products or services online at least once a month. The ranking for the top wired shopping cities was based on online browsers/purchasers and non-browsers/purchasers while all other survey questions were asked of only those who browse/purchase online.
AOL(r) Shopping: AOL Shopping (http://www.aol.com/shopping or AOL Keyword: Shopping) is a premier shopping destination on the AOL(r) service and the AOL.com(r) website that offers shoppers an intuitive and comprehensive experience that makes online shopping easy. By working hand-in-hand with leading retail brands and harnessing the best available technology, AOL Shopping helps online shoppers make good purchase decisions quickly and easily. It's built around the way consumers shop online today - with distinct offerings for searchers, browsers and impulse buyers.
About America Online, Inc.
America Online, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate a leading network of Web brands and the largest Internet access subscription service in the United States. Brands include the AOL(r) service, the AOL.com(r) website, and the AIM(r), MapQuest(r), Moviefone(r), Netscape(r), CompuServe(r) and ICQ(r) services. America Online offers a range of digital services including the TotalTalk(r) voice service. The company also has operations in Canada and Europe. America Online, Inc. is based in Dulles, Virginia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.
Source: AOL
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