Interesting piece on future of E commerce.
Survey: 70% to Replace Catalogs with Online Shopping
[January 20] Good news for online marketers: ActivMedia's FutureScapes study shows that 70% of respondents expect to replace catalog shopping with online shopping.
The study also indicates that the Internet is becoming a way of life for many, with 80% saying it has improved relationships, nearly 20% ordering more take-out food, and more than two-thirds saying their worklife has improved.
FutureScapes polled 5,800 users of online services on how they use the Net today, how it has affected their lives. and the impacts they expect it to have tomorrow.
Other results: Television viewing is down significantly. Bar/club visits, going out to movies, and to a lesser extent exercise and book reading are all being replaced by Internet activity.
Senior Research Analyst Jonathan Honiball said: "Respondents gushed about the Net like a teenager over his/her first car. For some the Net was a means to pursue their love life. Others found the Net allowed them to keep working into their retirement. Others talked about how the Net improved their worklife; others pursued hobbies. Seniors talked of the freedom and power the Internet provides to extend their useful lives, to keep in close touch with remote family members and to feel less isolated."
FutureScapers averaged 60% more time using the Internet than watching television, and, interestingly, the longer they had been online, the greater the gap between television viewing and Internet use.
The study was conducted from July to October 1997. About 5,800 online respondents described how the Internet has affected their work and personal lives and how they hope to use the Internet in the future. Respondents include professional, technical, managerial, production, service, and more from industry sectors, including information, communications, transportation, services, education, social services, government, manufacturing, and retail and wholesale.
A sample spreadsheet showing all 150 FutureScapes questions and the 103 subgroup data tabulations is available online.
The complete study is available for $2,995. ActivMedia is a market research firm on the Web specializing in Internet markets and impacts. It has global affiliates in Europe, Japan, and other parts of Asia.
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