Holiday Consumer Shopping Facts from the Electronic Retailing Association

Holiday Consumer Shopping Facts from the Electronic Retailing Association

Study shows that consumers avoid the stress of shopping by turning to on-line and direct marketers.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Long lines, crowded parking lots and lousy weather. The holiday season is a stressful time for millions of Americans searching for the right gifts for friends and family. There are, however, ways to avoid the holiday hassle as millions of savvy consumers have realized. According to an annual report commissioned by the Electronic Retailing Association, (ERA), more consumers prefer the ease and convenience of shopping from home instead of in a traditional retail store, and are turning to the internet, radio, infomercials and home shopping networks to buy products and services directly. Overall, the direct response industry, which includes infomercials, live shopping, online retailing and radio marketing, grossed over $250 billion in 2003, a large portion of which occurred over the holiday shopping season.

In specific, this study concludes:

-- 79% of online buyers prefer shopping on the internet to shopping in a
store
-- 66% of home shopping buyers say using home shopping is more convenient
than shopping in a store
-- 60% of infomercial shoppers prefer shopping via infomercials to
shopping in stores
-- 89% of online shoppers and 80% of home shopping consumers rate their
experience as excellent or very good
-- Overall, 72% of consumers who shop through infomercials, live shopping
channels and the internet will "definitely or probably" purchase
through that venue again
-- 61% of online shoppers say the prefer shopping online because they are
pressed for time, 73% shop online because they feel they get a better
value
-- 48% of infomercial shoppers prefer to shop via television because they
are looking for a value and another 48 percent shop to save time
-- On average, consumers who purchase through home shopping channels tend
to be female, ages 18-34, who are single and employed with an annual
income of $50,000 - $99,999

ABOUT THE ELECTRONIC RETAILING ASSOCIATION


The Washington DC-based Electronic Retailing Association is the trade association for major companies who use the power of electronic media to sell goods and services directly to the public. Its membership is involved in multi-channel electronic marketing including infomercials and short-form commercials, live shopping channels, the Internet, radio and convergence.


Source: Electronic Retailing Association

CONTACT: Jerry Mullins of Electronic Retailing Association,
+1-202-261-4037

Web site: http://www.retailing.org/


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