New US eSpending Survey Probes Christmas Shopping

Goldman Sachs, Harris Interactive and NetRatings have announced a partnership to deliver a new eSpending Report tracking weekly US online shopping and buying attitudes. The study will be based on a national American survey of 500 online shoppers randomly chosen from Harris Interactive's panel of Internet users.

Designed to track online shopping activity and spend by market segment, the research will also monitor consumer attitudes and motivations to net shopping. Initial findings from the first run of the survey have shown that 69% of Internet users have not yet begun shopping for the Christmas holidays, indicating that the official start of the ecommerce holiday season has yet to commence.

The data also indicates that, among respondents who have started their Christmas shopping in the past week, almost two thirds (63%) shopped at a site based on prior experience, while nearly a quarter said they shopped at a site based on its traditional retail store presence. These findings would suggest that online brand awareness is a key factor in driving shopping habits. In addition, 28% of those surveyed also shopped at a site they had found through a portal or search engine. Only 5% said that the recent terrorist incidents would encourage them to shop more online.

Commenting on the findings, Anthony Noto, analyst at Goldman Sachs, said "As we begin the critical holiday season, the eSpending report will deliver timely market data on ecommerce spending. Through this joint effort, we will provide an in-depth analysis of online shopping trends." Lori Iventosch-James, director of ecommerce research Harris Interactive, added "This report brings together the strengths and brand recognition of the three companies and will serve as the go-to resource for ecommerce buying trends and consumer attitudes."

Sean Kaldor, vice president of analytical services NetRatings, also noted, "As the holiday season approaches, indicators of the overall health of the ecommerce sector have been top-of-mind for the industry. Our partnership with Goldman Sachs and Harris Interactive in delivering the eSpending Report will fulfil the immediate need to track and analyse online shopping trends across 14 key ecommerce categories. While the official start of the online holiday shopping season has yet to begin, early indicators point to a positive outlook for websites with established brand names and partnerships with offline stores."

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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