In the case of marketing to consumers via the Internet, one of the essential characteristics of the target market is that it consist of people who are connected to the Internet. Because most employers prohibit or significantly limit personal use of company machines, especially concerning shopping and recreation, a primary concern is with those connected at home. They tend to be younger, with above average education and income. They receive product information from each other or from narrowly focused publications. Internet users may be classified as Surfers or Shoppers.
Surfers use the Internet for recreation.
They visit web sites as explorers, moving from site to site and not returning unless there is entertainment motivation. Shoppers use the Internet for a directed purpose, to gather information about a topic of interest, to make purchase decisions, or to conduct a purchase transaction. At present, the most popular items purchased on the Internet are sex-related. Initially, VCRs were slow to be accepted as a mainstream entertainment medium. Then, they became a popular vehicle for sexually oriented programming.