This year, consumers seem to be embracing shopping across websites, stores and catalogues more than ever. According to the study, 50 percent of consumers are using the Web to research products and then buy them either in a store or through a catalogue. And 45 percent of consumers are researching gift purchases in stores and catalogues and then purchasing them online.

Online retailers are increasingly optimistic about the holidays because the last two weeks have been very strong, said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, the online division of the National Retail Federation. Retailers have succeeded in combining their Web sites, stores and catalogues into a seamless shopping experience that lets consumers shop where and when they want.

The study also evaluates the success of online retailers marketing efforts. Free shipping with conditions gained in strength as the most successful tool in driving holiday business; 44 percent of retailers listed it as their most effective marketing promotion, an increase of seven percent over two weeks ago.

“Both retailers and consumers are benefiting from the 2003 online retail holiday season,” said Chuck Davis, CEO of BizRate.com. Consumers are enjoying excellent online and multi-channel shopping experiences and consumers are rewarding these retailers with their business.

The eHoliday Mood Study is the only holiday measurement tool that is based on data provided directly from online retailers in addition to consumer data. The second of four instalments, which represents the two-week buying period between November 16 and 29, includes data from more than 80 leading Internet and multi-channel retailers all Shop.org members.

About the Survey

The Shop.org/BizRate.com 2003 eHoliday Mood Study was designed to gauge consumer behaviour and online retailers success during the winter holiday season. The poll of 1,252 online buyers (defined as anyone who has made a purchase online in the last twelve months) and more than 80 online retailers, all members of Shop.org, was conducted December 1-2.

BizRate.com. Founded in 1996, BizRate.com is one of the largest, fastest and most accurate shopping search engines on the Web. With an index of over 26 million product offers from more than 39,000 stores, BizRate.com uses ShopRankTM, a proprietary shopping search algorithm, to produce the industry's most relevant search results by weighing price, popularity and availability of products, against the reputations of merchants that sell them. At the heart of ShopRankTM are BizRate.com's signature merchant and product ratings, collected from more than one million online buyers each month, making them the most reliable ratings on the Web. Every week, the BizRate.com shopping search engine prepares millions of shoppers to make smarter, more confident purchases and sends them directly to the checkout page of thousands of online merchants.

Shop.org, the association for retailers online, is where the best retail minds come together to gain the insight, knowledge and intelligence to make smarter, more informed decisions in the evolving world of the Internet and Multi-Channel retailing. Founded in 1996, Shop.org became a division of the National Retail Federation in January 2001. The association’s membership includes interactive executives from store-based retailers, catalogue-based retailers, Web-based retailers, and retail solution providers.