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30 top online-shopping trendsDec 28, 2009 (http://www.couponsherpa.com/ - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- As access to the Internet grows, so grows online shopping. Despite the recession, the e-commerce market is enjoying double-digit growth, fueled even further by holiday shopping. In anticipation of this growth, online merchants launched marketing programs earlier than ever this year, with a strong emphasis on price discounts and free shipping. Such enticements fuel a fair amount of this growth, but online shoppers also increasingly appreciate the convenience and improved data security they find at e-commerce Web sites. Studies also show content-rich Web sites with networking opportunities are drawing the bulk of online consumers. Coupon Sherpa did some homework and found the top 30 trends that will help you better understand the online-shopping experience. All statistics refer to online shopping in the U.S., unless otherwise noted. WHO IS BUYING ONLINE 1. Mothers are the fastest growing online shopping demographic. 2. 63 percent of people who shop online are women. 3. Shoppers under age 45 are spending more online, while purchases by older consumers have declined. 4. More than half of Internet users _ totaling $875 million Americans _ make at least one online purchase per month. 5. Online shopping is forecast to reach $329 billion by 2010 _ increasing to 13 percent of all retail sales and encompassing almost half of all households. 6. Americans spent more than $115 billion online in 2008, representing roughly 10 percent of the total domestic market. GEOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN 7. Over 85 percent of the world's online-population has used the Internet to make a purchase. 8. The world's most avid Internet shoppers are South Koreans, with 99 percent of Internet users in that country having shopped online. 9. German, UK and Japanese consumers come in a close second, with U.S. consumers trailing in eighth place. 10. China's shoppers don't appear to feel the impact of the international recession, having more than doubled online purchases in the last year. 11. In 2006, only 10 percent of the world's online population (627 million) had made a purchase over the Internet. 12. The developing markets of Kenya, Philippines and India are currently driving developments for micro-credits and micro-payments (very small loans and payments) WHAT WE ARE BUYING 13. Books are the most popular online purchase, followed by clothing/accessories/shoes, videos/DVDs/games, airline tickets and electronic equipment. 14. One in four online shoppers now purchase airline tickets via the Internet. 15. Sales of cosmetics/nutrition supplies and groceries have jumped nine and eight percentage points respectively in just one year. 16. Consumers are willing to pay between 20 to 99 percent more for a 5-star rated product than for a 4-star rated product. WHERE WE SHOP 17. Amazon.com is rapidly becoming consumers' default option when planning an online purchase. Consumers start at Amazon because they anticipate a positive experience at a good price. 18. Amazon has swiftly nudged out eBay as the most popular shopping site, with eBay sales falling 1 percent and Amazon's sales increasing 31 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. 19. Invitation-only sites have moved sales of luxury goods online to easier serve those with disposable incomes. 20. The security of a site influences where we shop more than rewards and discounts. Roughly 75 percent of online consumers fear fraud and/or identity theft. 21. Consumer "must haves" for a shopping Web site include ease of use, limited personal-information requirements, some free content, and secure transactions. 22. More than half of the top Web sites post videos to help sell products or services, or to enrich the user's experience. 23. The most successful sites allow users to interact with each other by offering gift registries, "send to a friend" options and product reviews. These features encourage shoppers to linger longer on a merchant's site. HOW WE SHOP ONLINE 24. People frequently re-visit Web sites with quality products and transparency in dealings. 25. 60 percent of online shoppers mostly buy from a single site, showing a unique loyalty. 26. 60 percent of online consumers prefer to pay with credit cards, with one in four choosing PayPal. 27. One-third of online shoppers use a search engine to find what they're looking for and about one-fourth find web sites by word of mouth. 28. 58 percent of online consumers own a Web-enabled cell phone and one in 10 purchase products and/or services with the device. 29. Over 65 percent of people use the Internet to research products before buying them from a local store. 30. Customers prefer to contact sales or customer service via online chats, as opposed to phone contact. SOURCES: 2008 Nielsen Global Online Survey; PriceGrabber.com Consumer Behavior Report; comScore.com Benchmark Study 2009; Jupiter Research Survey 2008; Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group Survey 2008; iQuantum Pty Ltd; Research and Markets 2008-2009 studies; comScore/Kelsey, October 2008 ___ (Coupon Sherpa is the penny pinching, coupon clipping, deal digging, Himalayan haggling, he-man of bargains. Visit http://www.couponsherpa.com/ for more shopping advice, insider tips, and coupons.) ___ (c) 2009, http://www.couponsherpa.com/ Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. _____ TO SUBSCRIBE TO NEWS2USE Items in the News2Use package are not included in your MCT News Service subscription. You can subscribe to the News2Use package or purchase the items a la carte on MCT Direct at www.mctdirect.com. 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