Time- and Budget-Crunched Consumers Turn to the Internet for Holiday Shopping

The Internet Grabs a Bigger Piece of a Smaller Holiday Shopping Pie
SAN FRANCISCO--(Business Wire)--
In light of the sinking economy, it’s no surprise that consumers are cutting
down holiday spending this year: a new study by interactive agency Questus
reveals that 49% of consumers plan on spending less this year, and almost one in
five plan on spending much less.

While overall spending will decrease this holiday season, the web will grab a
bigger piece of the shrinking pie. Almost one-third of consumers (31%) will do
the majority of their shopping online which is a substantial increase from last
season (25%).

Given the economic environment, it is surprising is that time-savings and
convenience trump saving money as the number one reason to shop online. Findings
include:

* Among those planning to do any online holiday shopping this year, convenience
is the number one reason why respondents plan to shop online this holiday
season:

* 71% think shopping online is “more convenient”
* 69% want to “save time”

* While many feel they will save money by shopping online, the proportions are
still lower than those who value convenience:

* 60% plan to find “special offers, such as free shipping, sales or online
coupons”
* 49% think they will “save money on products”
* 46% feel they will “save money on travel (e.g., gas, parking transportation,
etc.)”

Jeff Rosenblum, co-president of Questus, has worked with many of the world’s
leading e-commerce brands and notes that “while we are in one of the most unique
shopping environments in this country’s history, the fundamentals for successful
e-commerce programs remain consistent. Shoppers continue to place an emphasis on
saving time and energy, meaning that usability remains the critical factor
during the holiday season and beyond. In fact, usability may be more important
than ever because there are increasingly important elements that are fighting
for screen space: sales and savings.”

Mr. Rosenblum continued: “Whenever new elements are added to a Web site, there
is a natural inclination towards information overload. Ironically, when more
information is available on the screen, frequently users actually find less
information because of problems with the visual hierarchy. Success requires a
consumer-centric process. The etailer that ignores the granular needs of
consumers is destined to fail.”

About Questus:

Questus is an industry-leading interactive marketing agency with offices in New
York and San Francisco. Questus integrates world-class design and proprietary
research tools to offer a uniquely powerful approach to interactive marketing.
For more information, please visit http://www.questus.com

Questus
Sarah Lessen, 415-341-3716
sarah.lessen@questus.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008