In Online Jungle, Amazon.Com is King: eBay is Second in Holiday Survey of Internet Shoppers
Posted on: Saturday, 21 January 2006, 15:00 CST
By Jeffrey Sheban, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
Jan. 21--Amazon.com is leading the race to attract online shoppers, according to a survey by BIGresearch of Worthington. The only close competitor is eBay, which owns one distinction: It's the most popular online place to shop for consumers ages 18 to 24.
The survey found that during the holiday-shopping season, the most popular retailers for all Internet shoppers were Amazon-.com, eBay, WalMart.com, Overstock.com and JCPenney.com.
Nearly 20 percent of online shoppers used Amazon.com, according to the survey of 6,500 individuals.
Online shopper Jason Harper, of Westerville, said he likes Amazon.com because, "If they don't have it, they direct you to an online seller who does."
Amazon.com was established in 1995 in Seattle as a Web-based bookseller. Company founder Jeff Bezos ran the business out of his garage.
The company now sells everything from consumer electronics to apparel. One of the first Internet-only retailers, it shipped products to more than 200 countries during the holiday season and had 2004 sales of nearly $7 billion.
Amazon.com held the lead in every age group except for the youngest of those surveyed.
Phil Rist, BIGresearch vice president, said that despite being late to the online-shopping game, WalMart.com is making considerable strides.
"To be able to get up there and compete with the eBays and the Amazons is a big move for them," he said.
Overall, online shopping continues to grow at doubledigit rates. JupiterResearch estimates it amounted to $79 billion last year, up 20 percent from 2004, and will hit $130 billion in 2009. Still, online sales account for 4 percent of all U.S. retail sales.
Reasons given for shopping online, especially during holidays, include avoiding long lines and crowds in stores.
"It's convenient," said Tricia Bouton, of Westerville. "I can sit down anytime I want to, day or night."
Bouton, who has three children and is pregnant, said online shopping fits her current lifestyle. Amazon.com and toysrus.com are her favorite sites.
Despite its growing popularity, online shopping can't replicate the store experience in key areas, Rist said.
"You can't feel the cloth, you can't smell the perfume and you can't taste the food," he said.
Shopping also continues to be a social experience.
"People have a desire to remain human," he said.
jsheban@dispatch.com
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Copyright (c) 2006, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
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Source: The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
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