Tonight I'll be eBayin' it

One-third (33 percent) of online US adults are more likely to shop online, rather than at a store, because of high gas prices, according to a Harris Interactive study conducted for iCongo - writes MarketingCharts.

Some highlights from the study:

Incentives

Consumers give various other reasons they would be more likely to shop online as opposed to a physical store:

• 57 percent cite free shipping.
• 55 percent cite lower prices.
• 61 percent cite the ability to shop at any time.

If a store were out of stock of a certain item, 6 percent of online adults would complete their purchase in store and have the merchandise shipped to them, said iCongo. (This is a relatively large proportion, taking into consideration that only a small percentage of shoppers entering a store actually end up completing a purchase.)

Rebates: To Spend or Not to Spend

Rebate checks will also have an effect on shopping attitudes. Both The National Retail Federation survey and iCongo found that a considerable proportion of consumers (41 percent and 45 percent, respectively) plan to spend their upcoming Federal tax rebate on retail purchases.

"While there has been much speculation that consumers will seek to avoid making retail purchases, our survey found a healthy number do plan to do so," said Irwin Kramer, founder and CEO of iCongo. "Whether purchases are made online or in a store, these rebate checks are going to have an effect on the overall economy."