The second annual multichannel holiday shopping survey by online advertising firm DoubleClick shows that the only retail channel that increased in usage this past holiday season was the Internet. And even that increase was marginal. Sixty-four percent of consumers surveyed said they used the Internet for holiday shopping or browsing, compared with 61% in 2001.
The DoubleClick survey also shows that although price remains the primary reason shoppers browsed in stores yet purchased online, it was less important than it had been the previous year. . At the same time, selection was cited more often than speed and 24-hour availability as a reason to shop online vs. at retail.
Among categories for which multichannel shoppers placed holiday orders online, 71% bought music, movies or books—comparable with 2001 levels; 71% bought apparel, down from 75% in 2001. Sixty-eight percent bought toy and games, compared with 69% the previous year, and 37% bought jewelry sales, compared with 35% during holiday 2001.
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