Some 23 million Americans are true multi-channel consumers—using both online and offline channels—according to a survey by marketing and consulting firm the Dieringer Research Group.
Christened "hyper-shoppers," these consumers spend $500 or more both online and offline after first seeking product information online, "and they’re really capitalizing on the convenience and power of online shopping," said Pam Renick, executive vice president of the Dieringer Group in a statement.
Hyper-shoppers comprise 20% of the online adult population, or 11% of all U.S. adults. That’s a 50% increase from 2002, said the study.
These consumers also prefer to use the Internet to seek information about financial products and services. And, nearly two-thirds of them say the value of the Internet to their purchasing decisions increased in the past year.
In general, nearly half of all American adults say they looked for product information online in the past year. Of these 103 million adults, nearly three out of four used search engines to find products.
Direct mail wins out though, when it comes to actually making purchases. Only 32% of Americans made purchases online, versus 38% who purchased from mail order catalogs in the last year.
But, the average number of online transactions per year is three times the number of mail order transactions, said the study.
The survey was conducted nationally and is based on 2,000 telephone interviews with consumers of both financial services and traditional retail products. The study occurred in May and has been conducted annually since 1995.
