Esearch Survey Says People are Buying Online

Posted on March 13, 1998

Esearch, a source for internet market research data collection, released the findings of its most recent survey on on-line shopping/buying habits. The report shows trends in on-line shopping, comparing the 1998 results from a 1997 survey on the same topic. Data was collected from nearly 3,000 netizens about their on-line buying habits.

The findings indicated that nearly 70% of the sample had conducted some type of on-line transaction; and of these, 61% had purchased a product or service. In 1997, slightly more than half the sample (52%) had conducted some type of on-line transaction and that of these, nearly all had purchased a product or service. More people are conducting transactions on-line, but the percentage of product/services buys is not increasing at the same rate. 1997 and 1998 respondents are consistent in the key reasons people are reluctant to purchase on-line, which is a lack of trust in Internet security.

Specifics for 1998 include: Almost 70% of respondents have conducted a monetary transaction on-line. Of this 70%, about 61% had purchased a product or service. The most frequently purchased items were leisure items such as books, games and toys (40%), computer hardware/software (39%), and personal items such as clothing and jewelry (23.3%). Respondents stated that convenience (44%), better deals (37%), less amount of time taken (37%), and availability of items (28%) were the reasons that prompted them to purchase on-line. Brand name items (36%) and specialty items (36%) were purchased on-line.

The questionnaire is available at http://www.esearch.com along with the topline summary. The complete report is available from Esearch for $1,500. Founded in 1996, Esearch provides on-line data collection for market research. The company maintains a list of panelists available for on-line polling, focus groups, and other research – with complete demographic information on each panel member.