American users and the 2001 Holiday Shopping season - Market Intelligence - Statistical Data Included

Information Superhighways Newsletter, Jan, 2002

According to a report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 26 percent of US Internet users -- roughly 29 million people -- bought their 2001 holiday gifts online, up from just 20 million people who did so the year before. Pew reports that a majority of the 2001 e-holiday shoppers were women (58 percent), and the average amount spent online by all shoppers was $392 (per person).

Pew surveyed 4,052 US adults -- 2,364 of whom were Internet users -- between November and December 2001. It found that 84 percent of Internet users who bought holiday gifts online in 2001 said that shopping online helped them save time. Twenty-two percent said they saved between three to six hours of shopping time and another 22 percent said they saved over six hours.

Pew finds that 74 percent of Internet users in the US did not buy any gifts online this holiday season. Users were apparently still afraid of security issues; 36 percent said they did not want to risk using a credit card online.

In its 2001 Holiday Shopping Report, eMarketer estimates that 58.7 million people shopped online during the 2001 holiday season -- a higher figure than Pew's 29 million. eMarketer defines the holiday season as the fourth quarter of 2001 and includes e-shoppers age 14 and over.