In sync with predictions of growth in the e-commerce
industry, research firm Greenfield Online reported that
online purchasing increased by 34% from April to August, 1998.
Greenfield Online’s August Digital Consumer Shopping Index,
sampled 2,400 “Digital Consumers” in the last 90 days. Among the findings:
- 41 percent participated in an online auction
- 26 percent bought computer software
- 25 percent banked online
- 25 percent bought books
- 23 percent bought airline tickets
- 12 percent made hotel or travel arrangements
- 12 percent say they have traded stocks, mutual funds, bonds or options
online at least once in the past and 65 percent said they plan to do more
trading in the future.
Digital Consumers are defined by Greenfield as more
affluent than the general adult population, with household income over
$10,000 above the national average. In the study, users reported spending
just over 20 hours per week on the Internet.
Today’s report reflects predictions made by experts that e-commerce will
boom in the near future. eMarketer in its “1998 eCommerce Report” said
that consumer e-commerce will reach $26 billion by 2002, and Forrester
research predicted $3.8 billion in e-commerce sales in America alone by 2002.
