Web-Savvy Americans a Powerful Consumer Force in U.S., Says Study

NEW YORK (MarketingClick/Reuters)–Americans are still flocking to the Internet in droves and a recent study found that those who use the Internet in their daily lives are also proving to be influential consumers, rapidly outdistancing their offline counterparts.

The report–a joint project of global marketing research and consultant firm Roper Starch Worldwide and Yahoo! Internet Life, a lifestyle magazine about Internet culture published by Ziff-Davis Media Inc. under a licensing agreement with Yahoo! Inc.–determined that not only are Web-savvy Americans far younger and more affluent than those who are not familiar with the Web, but they also lead more active lives and are more likely to spend offline.

“Integrating the Internet into their lives has changed the way these consumers live, work and buy,” said Scott Crystal, executive vice president and publishing director of Ziff-Davis Media’s consumer magazine group. “That’s why we’ve dubbed them the ‘New American Consumer.'”

They use the Internet to research their purchases,” Crystal said. “They’re not only active buyers online but more active buyers at retail stores.”

Indeed, in the past month, a greater percentage of Web-oriented consumers said they visited department stores, hardware stores, and video, book and music stores than those non-connected consumers who were polled.

Also, 63% of connected Americans said they bought something in the past three months without going to a store, turning instead to direct mail, catalogs or the Internet to make their purchases, compared with only 37% of non-connected Americans.

“Online Americans are no longer simply a vanguard group of trendsetters, but a cohesive, powerful and growing consumer force that is dramatically reshaping the market landscape,” said Roper President Edward Keller.

“The digital divide separating online and offline adults has grown wide and deep, and nowhere is this perhaps more evident than in the consumer realm,” Keller said.

Online consumers are far younger than their offline counterparts, with an average age of about 38 versus almost 49 for bricks-and-mortar consumers, the study found.

The are more affluent, with 38% of those polled reporting a annual household income in excess of $50,000, compared with only 12% for Americans who do not use the Web.

In addition, the study found Web-savvy Americans are better educated, with 37% being college graduates, and are more likely to hold executive or professional jobs.

The study was compiled using data from Roper’s ongoing consumer trends service, which collects information eight times a year. Each survey polls a nationwide cross section of 2,000 men and women aged 18 years and older.