You have a great New Year! Happy New Year hole_n_one... 
Posted on 12/30/2002 1:10:12 PM PST by TLBSHOW
Web Retailers Cheered as Shoppers Flock Online
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shoppers flocked to the Web this holiday season, boosting online sales from 20 percent to as much as 41 percent, even as traditional retailers showed what is likely to be the smallest gain in more than 30 years.
"No matter how badly offline sales fared, online sales continue to shine -- mostly the (Web) businesses of bricks and mortar retailers," Forrester analyst Carrie Johnson said.
Final tallies are still pending, but initial data from sales made between Nov. 1 and Dec. 20 suggest online retailers showed strong growth without hitting their profit margins by giving away the store, as some had in the past.
"A couple years ago, there were freebies and huge discounts. This year the value was free shipping; you didn't see as many free giveaways," said NetRatings' chief e-commerce analyst Lisa Strand. "Toward the end of the season, you saw a huge shift toward shoppers coming online because of convenience rather than price and to avoid the crowds."
The exact amount of online sales growth differs among research and tracking firms because of varied methodologies.
For example, ComScore Networks, which uses technology to track transactions made by about 1.5 million of its panel members, said online sales excluding travel between Nov. 1 and Dec. 20 were up 23 percent from a year ago to $8.5 billion.
Meanwhile, Nielsen/NetRatings and Harris Interactive said sales excluding travel for the same period rose 20 percent to $11.6 billion. NetRatings surveys shoppers for its data.
Online comparison shopping service BizRate.com, which surveys consumers after they have bought something, said online sales totaled $11.53 billion -- up 41 percent from a year-earlier. BizRate.com lets consumers compare price, selection and service at more than 2,000 e-commerce sites.
Some adjustments are expected to all the numbers as the money spent in the week after Christmas is included.
We like to get a lot of stuff from L. L. Bean. Finally broke down and got their credit card - free shipping and handling. We love it. Plus, since they don't have an on-ground presence in California, we don't have to pay sales tax.
hehe!
You have a great New Year! Happy New Year hole_n_one...
My most expensive (though much, much less than buying from a retailer) and exotic item I bought through eBay was a neon bar sign for my sister and her husband for their rec-room. When my daughter had her First Communion last year I went through the eBay stores and bought a beautiful dress and veil (separately, from separate vendors) and saved much $$$. These and all of my other purchases have been exactly as represented and it is a delight to use.
ROTFLMAO! Hey, at least they are not boring.
Actually, I truly believe that Phantom Lord is an OK guy. In fact, I'm gonna refer him to two friends in NC.
Hey, peace to all, let's celebrate that online sales WORKS!!!!
Beware, though...governments are starving these days. Coming to a tax increase near you.
Another fun item I found is my sister-in-law has Christmas dishes in a discontinued pattern. I searched eBay for serving pieces, but no luck, so turned to Google, etc. looking for sellers and found people were on waiting lists for the pattern. What I did was every few weeks plug it into eBay and finally (!) I found a serving dish in the pattern. I still smile when I think of my big find!
Good for you Chip. Happy new year to you and da missus!
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