Internet to Influence 25% of Holiday Purchases

Washington, D.C., The Internet will play a larger role than ever in holiday shopping this year, according to a new survey conducted for the National Retail Federation (NRF) by BIGresearch. Shoppers, who are expected to spend $791.10 each this year on holiday merchandise, said they will use the Internet for an average of one-fourth (28.9%) of their shopping.

Though nearly half (47.1%) of consumers plan to make at least one holiday purchase on line this year, up from 36.0% three years ago, many will also use the Internet to browse before heading to stores to buy. According to the survey, most consumers (88.7%) regularly or occasionally examine products on the Internet before buying in a store. When it comes to researching merchandise, electronics are the most popular searches. More than one-third of on-line shoppers (39.3%) said they have browsed for electronics on line before buying in a store within the last 90 days.