Consumers appear to be moving beyond the perceived risks of shopping online. Tracy also explains that consumers usually make their first online purchase after hearing about a positive experience from a trusted source. Tracy's study on electronic commerce is beginning to reveal some initial findings about the demographics of online shoppers. They are used to not being able to examine the merchandise and are usually more willing to wait for it to be delivered. While there was a record number of consumers who utilized the Internet for Christmas shopping in 1998, retail outlets did not see a decrease in the number of cus-tomers.
Many people use shopping as a social or recreational activity.
White asked jokingly. While smaller organizations took the lead in using Internet technology, larger companies were quickly pressured into establishing a web presence. Just like in the 1980s, businesses had to have an 800-number because consumers expected it. Today they must have their own domain name. Businesses are offering consistent reminders that their site is secure and that customer order information will be encrypted, transmitted and stored properly.