Studies Show Holiday Online Shopping Still An Infant

While online holiday sales are predicted to reach 1.14 billion in 1997, consumers are still confronted with a shopping experience which can go from simple and easy to completely disappointing. Two different studies show many well-known retail companies and products are not available on the World Wide Web.

Jupiter Communications’ Strategic Planning Services (SPS) says the Christmas holiday season will account for 44 percent of $2.6 billion spent annually on electronic purchases with. online retail sales growing to $37.5 billion by the year 2002. Frank Domondon, Jupiter spokesperson said, "there is a growing base of customers who want and use online retail purchasing opportunities." Convenience and time are both incentives for many online shoppers, he added.

However, a study by Computer Sciences Corporation says an online holiday shopping experience can be frustrating and less than desired in terms of locating goods and securely purchasing them.

After questioning nearly 300 retailers, the study found only 50 percent have operating Web sites, while another three percent have sites under construction. The other 47 percent could not be located on the World Wide Web by CSC researchers. The 300 retailers included the nation’s top 100 general retailers, the top 100 specialty stores and a random sample of publicly owned retailers in the Northeast. Once CSC researchers found retailers’ sites — not always an easy task, they said — they learned that only 25 percent offered online shopping and an additional three percent accepted telephone or fax orders. Among the most successful online retailers are companies with existing catalogue operations. Sixty-six percent of them allow online transactions and another 17 percent offer an online catalog but do not accept orders.

For online shoppers still searching for the perfect present, CSC suggests going to the name of a store such as macys.com instead of a term like "Old Navy" which returned 8,400 search engine responses, none of which offered retail sales. Comparison shopping is advised, and prices are not necessarily cheaper online, CSC said.

CSC advises users to skip any poorly constructed site. Online shoppers should look for features which enhance the shopping experience. Prices, number of items chosen, availability and other standard shopping expectations should be available. Online malls are also good sources for learning about new stores and goods, CSC also said.

Where are the hot online retail sites? CSC found Avon (http://www.avon.com), Barnes & Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com), The Gap (http://www.gap.com), Land’s End (http://www.landsend.com), Noodle Kidoodle (http://www.noodlekidoodle.com), and QVC(http://www.qvc.com) to be among the top sites.

(Contact: Frank Domondon, Jupiter Communications, tel 212-780-6060)