Online Electronics Shoppers Say The Internet Has Made Them More Educated Consumers, Study Reports

Internet sales of computer products, home entertainment electronics, portable stereos and other consumer oriented goods are likely to grow by 135 percent over the next two years, according to a recent survey by the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA).In an e-mail-distributed survey of 2,725 online households in the U.S., CEMA determined that the Internet represents both a sales channel and a research tool for consumers.The trade group predicted that Internet sales of consumer technologies will reach $14 billion by 2002, representing 13 percent of the total industry volume.""On average, more than 75 percent of consumers who likely will make a consumer technology buy in the next two years will use the Internet to research their purchase,"" said Todd Thibodeaux, CEMAís Vice President of Market Research and Senior Economist.The survey found that two-thirds of respondents had shopped for, or purchased, computer hardware or software items, or computer accessories using the Internet.Although the study did not consider sales of portable music downloading devices such as Diamond Multimediaís Rio player, CEMA did find that computer products are ""far and away the most active online electronic purchase.""Other popular products include home office equipment, VCRs/DVDs/camcorders, video game hardware/software, cellular phones/pagers, home stereo products, portable stereo products, color TVs and car stereo products.Survey results also indicated that Internet shopping doubled among consumers who use the Net as a way to complement their brick-and-mortar shopping. Increasingly, Thibodeaux said, consumers view the Internet and traditional retail as integral shopping components, not ""separate realms.""Those findings dovetail with facts reported in another element of the CEMA study, which found that nearly one in six online shoppers is using both established retail outlets and the Internet in most of their product purchases.""Almost 60 percent of online consumers think the Internet has made them more educated shoppers,"" Thibodeaux said.Twenty-nine percent of respondents to the CEMA survey indicated that they expect to double their online buying in the next 12 months, while only 6 percent said they think online shopping is a ""novelty.""