Online consumers are perhaps the most scrutinized demographic group in history considering the infinite amount of research, surveys and self-proclaimed consultants analyzing the emerging Internet economy.
Going online is becoming more mainstream with each passing year.
White males reportedly still account for the majority of e-traffic, but the presence of women on the Web is growing, and soon women are expected to shop there as much as men. Online subscribers as a whole are becoming more diversified economically.
Although most online users are wealthy, highly educated and under age 60, much of the new growth in Net use is coming from less upscale consumers than in the past.
The Internet is beginning to challenge television’s mass-market preeminence in terms of consumer penetration. Consumers typically are decreasing their television viewing to spend more time online.
Buying products and services is low on the list of primary online activities, and it ties in with playing games on the Net. Most consumers go online to send and receive e-mail, obtain news and find information about hobbies, health or investments.
Consumers also frequently use their computers for comparison shopping, but not necessarily for making purchases. Those who do buy online typically perceive Web site prices as comparable to printed catalogs and retail stores.
The typical online consumer is 87% likely to be a male in his early 30s living in California. He probably lives near San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles or San Diego. He typically works in the high-tech industry or operates a home-based business.
Joe Cyber is more than 60% likely to have a college degree, probably earning $60,000 or better annually. He’s less than 50% likely to be married, and he reportedly uses the Internet at least four times daily and spends $200 or more per year shopping online.
– By 2002 a projected 45 million U.S. households will be online. The estimates of Americans 16 or older currently online range between 74 million and 84 million. At least 40 million more Americans not already online are projected to log on within a few years.
– As Internet use continues to expand, the demographics of typical Internet users will increasingly mirror those of average Americans. About 30% will be age 45 or older, 53% will be high-school graduates or have less education and 61% will earn under $50,000.
– Online service providers increasingly compete with TV stations for consumer attention. The number of Americans either online or using computers for other activities is believed to sometimes exceed the audience watching prime-time TV.
– Americans spend more than 500 million hours per week online at home. An average household goes online 15 to 20 hours a week. E-mail, investment-related research, obtaining health information and reading the news account for the bulk of time online.
– Between 50% to 75% of Americans who go online also shop there. The most popular shopping categories are books, CDs, computer hardware and software, airline tickets and financial services.
– Men account for about three-quarters of total online traffic, while the number of women who use the Net recently has grown to about 30% to 40%. The San Francisco Bay area is believed to have the highest concentration of women online.
– The cities with the most online traffic are, in descending order: San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose, CA. The next busiest areas for online traffic are Austin, TX, the state of Virginia, Hartford and New Haven, CT, followed by Washington, DC, Boston, New York, New Jersey, Seattle and Tacoma, WA, and Portland, OR.
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