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12-01-2004, 12:24 PM | #1 |
YT 6000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 6,238
| [News] Seniors Turn to the Internet to Shop I found my Yoda through the local newspaper, did a lot of you find your Yorkies through the Internet? --- Her name is Eliza Doolittle, she weighs 4 pounds, she has a perfect pedigree and her parents are reportedly well-behaved. Owner Julie Miller had no trouble finding the Yorkshire terrier pup and knew the tiny canine was the one she wanted. Miller found Eliza on the Internet. "I didn't get very savvy about Internet shopping until probably the last three years," said Miller, a retired professor and department head at Cleveland State University. Miller is among an increasing number of seniors who are becoming more comfortable with the Internet and online shopping. At least one expert says part of the trend can be traced to seniors shopping online for medicine. The National Retail Federation reports that 26.4 percent of consumers older than 65 plan to purchase holiday gifts online this year, up from 20.8 percent last year. Though younger Americans are shopping online in far greater numbers - 41.7 percent of 18-to-44-year-olds shop online - more than a fourth of older Americans are purchasing via the Internet. The NRF study found that 98 percent of merchants expect online growth this holiday season, and 32 percent of consumers plan to do more of their holiday shopping online. The online-shopping trend has retailers beefing up Web sites to help increase revenue, though most shoppers still choose going to stores compared with going to the Internet. Online sales remain only a sliver of overall retail sales nationally. And local retailers say there continue to be advantages to shopping in person versus shopping online. Even so, Miller and other retirees are venturing online for certain purchases. In addition to her puppy purchase, Miller has purchased quilting material and Christmas presents from the computer in her Myrtle Trace home. Another Internet-savvy retiree, Diana Brown of Socastee, checks the auction Web site eBay daily for deals on the Swarovski crystal she collects. "We've found that the prices are pretty good, and then you've got the challenge of getting it, the bidding," Brown said. Brown also shops at J.C. Penney's Web site and has ordered computer equipment online. "I don't have to get out and fight the crowd. It's delivered right to my house," Brown said. "Both my husband and I have had knee surgery, and it's just a lot easier to sit there and do it online." Ellen Richardson, a reference librarian at Chapin Memorial Library, said a greater number of people are coming into the library to use computers for research as well as for making purchases. "There's an increase in the number of people who are comfortable using computers and far fewer questions about 'Is it safe?' and 'Who has my credit card number?'" Richardson said. Economist Al Parish of Charleston Southern University said there has been dramatic growth in online sales in the past two years, and he expects the trend to continue. "That is going to be a problem for state departments of revenue because sales taxes are not collected by the merchants unless they also have a physical presence in the state," Parish said. "If you order from Walmart.com, you're going to pay sales tax. If you order from Lands' End, you're not." Parish said shopping for prescription drugs online has helped older Americans become more comfortable with online shopping. "Groups of seniors have gotten together to buy prescription drugs online, typically from Canadian pharmacies, because costs are a lot cheaper," Parish said. "Once comfortable with ordering that online, why not order luggage and everything else?" For brick-and-mortar retailers, online retailers are both a problem and an opportunity, Parish said. Retailers' Web sites can drive sales to their physical stores, allowing potential customers to peruse the sites to check out available items and selections. "If a retailer does not have an online retail outlet, they're behind the curve," he said. The desire to touch items and try on clothing, one-on-one attention from sales staff and some lingering concerns about Internet fraud keep some customers going to local shops and mall stores. Even with the more than 50 percent of growth online shopping has experienced in recent years, such sales still represent less than 6 percent of all retail sales. Most people still want to try on clothes, Parish said, unless they have been in a store first, know their size and can then order from that store online. "When you go into a store, you can put a garment on and see if it fits," said Tracy Pickens, sales consultant at apparel shop Haberdashery in downtown Conway. "Also, a lot of time things fit but they don't look good on because of color or style." Another reason to go into a store is personal service, Pickens said. A customer brought a pair of black pants into the store on Friday, and Pickens was able to help him match items for a semi-formal event. Ellen Tolley, spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, said some people are hesitant to shop online unless they know they are shopping with a reputable company. "There's probably no question that more seniors have computers ... but many seniors have been hesitant to shop online because they were worried about whether or not they are going to be taken for a ride," Tolley said. "With many of their children and grandchildren seeing great success with shopping on the Internet, more older people are becoming comfortable shopping online themselves." Norma Culler of Surfside Beach has been shopping online for about five years, most recently for a baby walker for her new grandson. "You can read reviews [online] from people who have bought the same items," Culler said. "One review said 'a nightmare to put together.' It wasn't a quite a nightmare, but when everything's written in three languages, it's hard to juggle." With the walker assembled, Culler has some of her Christmas shopping completed. "I'm probably naive, but I feel very secure putting my credit card on a Web site," Culler said. "It's the same as when you go to a restaurant and hand your credit card to a server." http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld...l/10293281.htm |
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