Case Western Reserve University Study Shows That the Best Holiday Deals Are Online, Despite Consumer Perceptions of the Cost of Online Shopping

Case Western Reserve University Study Shows That the Best Holiday Deals Are Online, Despite Consumer Perceptions of the Cost of Online Shopping

Holiday shopping season is here! According to recent data, more consumers
than ever are shopping online for gifts, despite the fact that they
believe they're paying more for the convenience -- but they're wrong.

A new study from Case Western Reserve University reveals that in 2000,
consumers thought online prices were significantly less expensive than
offline prices. By 2003, consumers believed that after shipping and
handling charges are applied to their orders, they end up paying a premium
over what they would pay in a traditional retail outlet, despite the
reality that online prices are still lower.

Professor Ellen Garbarino can discuss her research findings and offer
valuable advice to consumers, including:

-- The significant price difference among book and CD retailers, both on
and offline
-- A list of the most affordable places to purchase holiday gifts online
-- How consumers' perceptions of online purchasing have shifted since
the early days of the Internet

WHO: Ellen Garbarino, Assistant Professor of Marketing and Policy Studies
at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management

Garbarino's research and published works focus on Internet retail pricing,
consumer perceptions, behavioral aspects of pricing and interpretation and
use of price information. Among her publications are Dynamic Pricing in
Internet Retail: Effects of Consumer Trust (Psychology and Marketing,
2003) and The Effect of Price History on Demand through Perceived
Expensiveness (Journal of Business Research, 1999).

WHEN: Through the holiday season

CONTACT: Rich Goldsmith
(952) 346-6325
rgoldsmith@webershandwick.com

PRNewswire -- Dec. 8


Source: Case Western Reserve University


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