Two-thirds of Internet users shop online!
Two-thirds of Internet users are shopping online according to this New York Times story (registration required) on a the Pew Internet and American Life Project study:
"What's striking about this is that the percentage of Internet users who do shopping has been growing, even as the Internet population continues to grow,'' Mr. Rainie said. "So the increase is doubly important because it's a bigger slice of a bigger pie."
The data provide context for the maturation of the online retail industry, which is expected to sell roughly $120 billion worth of goods this year, according to Forrester Research. The data also indicate that lofty expectations of broad e-commerce by the late 1990's were not unrealistic, just premature. Four years ago, 47 percent of online users at the time, or 36 million people, had bought something online. The new Pew research puts the current number at 83 million people.