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Online insights from Bill Tancer
Bill Tancer is the general manager of global research at Hitwise and a weekly columnist for Time Magazine.
For information on Bill's upcoming book "Click", visit the following booksellers: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, or BookSense.
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Online Retail Visits Up 15.8 Percent
June 13, 2008 11:39 AM
Yesterday's news from the Commerce Department that retail sales were up 1 percent, the biggest increase in the last six months, was seen as a sign by economists that the economic stimulus package is doing what it was designed to do -- stimulate.
Visits to online retail sites in the first five months of 2008 climbed an astounding 15.8 percent compared with the same time period a year earlier. Could it be that retail spending is shifting online?
The increase in online visits could be interpreted in a number of ways. Consumers may be shopping online to save money on gas. More likely, the increase in visits to online retailers indicates that consumers are becoming more price-conscious and are using the Internet to figure out ways to stretch their spending.
Bolstering the second theory, visits to comparison shopping engines (like Shopzilla, Shopping.com and Pricegrabber) as a category are up 58 percent over the last year.
If you'd like to read more about what we can discover from our Internet habits, read the first chapter of my upcoming book Click, exclusively available here at ABCNews.com.
June 13, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (4)
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Online shopping=less hassle when I like clothes
Online shopping=more hassle when I return clothes
Ergo: I shop at Delias.com
Posted by: Daisy Whitney | Jun 13, 2008 6:22:42 PM
I shop avon online. After several bad experiences with reps forgetting to order certain things, forgetting to deliver or even call to let me know they couldnt make it, over charging and not making it right until the following shipment came in with yet another messed up order...I am now trying to order online. For other items, I like to compare prices online before I run out to buy. This saves me time as well as the expence of running from store to store.
Posted by: tweetysathome | Jun 15, 2008 9:33:44 AM
Other than clothes or shoes, I always prefer to shop online. I use Amazon a LOT and have no complaints over the past 11 years. I get a low price, good service, and I always opt for the free shipping method. Viola! Instant savings and I do not have to get into my car and into traffic to find a simple item. It comes to me!
Posted by: Mrs. Tiggywinkle | Jun 26, 2008 2:56:43 PM
Other than clothes or shoes, I always prefer to shop online. I use Amazon a LOT and have no complaints over the past 11 years. I get a low price, good service, and I always opt for the free shipping method. Viola! Instant savings and I do not have to get into my car and into traffic to find a simple item. It comes to me!
Posted by: Mrs. Tiggywinkle | Jun 26, 2008 2:56:55 PM
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