Fashion the bait

Perks like free shipping and exclusive online incentives drive consumers to the web.

While bargain-hunting remains the primary reason for online sales, shipping costs remain the top frustration, according to The Conference Board and TNS, reports MarketingCharts.

The following factors, according to the Consumer Internet Barometer, encourage online shopping:

• 90 percent of online holiday shoppers said free shipping would entice them to spend more online this holiday season.
• More than 73 percent said special offers and deals not available in stores would boost their online holiday spending.
• Half of holiday shoppers would be willing to spend more if merchandise were offered exclusively online.
• Similarly, half of holiday shoppers claim the ability to return items to a store would make them purchase more products online.
• One-third said free postage for returns would increase their online holiday purchases.

This holiday season, books, movies, clothes and toys are at the top of consumers' online shopping lists. And consumers' most preferred types of sites are as follows:

• For 43 percent of consumers, the most preferred type of site to shop online are retail and catalog (Walmart.com, BestBuy.com, etc.).
• Online retailers (Amazon.com, Overstock.com, etc.) are preferred by 37 percent of consumers.
• Online auction sites (eBay.com, Yahoo Auctions, etc.) are most preferred by about 21 percent of internet shoppers.
• Male shoppers cited online retailers as their most preferred shopping sites, while female shoppers preferred retail/catalog sites.

More findings from the survey, including a classification of online-shopper types and info on in-store shopping, are available from MarketingCharts.