Online shoppers are overwhelmingly happy about their overall online shopping experiences and almost all of them say they will do it again. 69 percent of online shoppers rate their shopping experience as better than shopping in a store. 31 percent of this year's online shoppers say being able to avoid the holiday shopping crowds is what makes shopping on the Internet better than going to the stores. Since holiday shopping on the Internet is such a positive experience, almost all online shoppers say they would do it again. One-third of Americans, and just over half of all Internet users, say they have purchased products over the Internet at some point.
Online shoppers continue to be wealthier and better educated.
54 percent of Internet users ages 45 and over now say they have purchased products over the Internet, compared with just two out of five who said so last year. There have also been slight shifts in the makeup of the online community as a whole. However, older Americans appear to have caught up quite a bit. Now 58 percent of Americans ages 45 to 64 are online, compared to 48 percent just a year ago. One out of every five seniors is now online, up from 14 percent at the end of 1999.