Online shopping preferred for holidays

NEW YORK More consumers chose to shop online this holiday season, and the majority were satisfied with their experience, a new survey by Nielsen found.

Nielsen Online reported today that a large majority of online shoppers, 82%, reported being very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the customer support available during their online holiday shopping experience this year. Among the 46% of respondents who had posted or planned to post reviews about their online shopping experience, 88% said those reviews either were, or would be positive.

"The holiday season has always been important to retailers because it generates a material percentage of the year's sales," said Ken Cassar, vp of industry solutions analytics for Nielsen Online. "But the season also sets the stage for the upcoming year. Negative customer experiences can hamper growth significantly, especially in this age of Consumer-Generated media. Online retailers should be thrilled that, regardless of whether or not sales meet expectations, this holiday season will provide a solid foundation for 2008 from a customer service perspective."