Vol. 16, No. 8 - A Publication For Faculty, Staff and Friends of Wichita State University - December 2, 1999 

[Inside]

By Joe Kleinsasser

It’s beginning to look a lot like an Internet shopping Christmas, according to Cindy Claycomb, assistant professor of marketing at Wichita State University. Internet shopping continues to grow rapidly.

"In terms of holiday shopping, this is considered the second electronic Christmas," says Claycomb.

According to the eMarketer’s Holiday Shopping Report, 10 million new buyers will come online this quarter. Altogether this holiday season, 34 million Americans will make a purchase online. On average, online buyers will spend $219 per person, bringing the total revenues for the quarter to $7.3 billion.

Claycomb says there are some advantages to shopping on the Internet. Consumers get the convenience of shopping from home and in some cases bargain prices. Plus there are opportunities for comparison-shopping.

On the flip side, she says, "It’s still difficult to find what you’re looking for. Search engines don’t always understand what you’re looking for. Portals that offer price comparisons aren’t always complete, and even when you find what you want it’s still hard to see what you’re getting because you can’t feel it, touch it, taste it or try it on."

Holiday shoppers shouldn’t assume that e-retailers and their corresponding stores are connected. Especially check return and exchange policies. Claycomb says you shouldn’t assume that a gift purchased from a Web site can be exchanged at the store.

Some shoppers are hesitant to shop on the Internet because of privacy issues. Claycomb says shoppers have to be willing to give up some things in order to get the advantages of Internet shopping, such as convenience, lower prices and personalization. She suggests looking for retailers who will not sell or trade information with other online retailers.

[Inside]