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Communications Today, Dec 4, 2000

By Rodney L. Pringle, rpringle@phillips.com

Online shoppers will spread a lot of cheer and cash to retailers this Christmas, according to Jupiter Research.

The New York-based research firm that tracks Internet commerce said the number of online shoppers this holiday season will increase 300 percent compared to last year.

The company said 6.3 million U.S. residents will spend more than 50 percent of their holiday budget online this year, compared with 1.6 million residents spending more than half of their holiday budgets online last year.

Shoppers will spend about $11.6 billion online this year compared to $7 billion last year.

"While online shoppers are price-conscious, they will primarily be driven by the need to save time and avoid crowds this holiday season," said Ken Cassar, a senior analyst for Jupiter Research.

The company said the most popular online purchases this season will be books, toys, music and computers. Purchases of clothing and shoes will also increase, the company said.