PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, July 17, 2001 - While online sales may not be increasing at the same rate they once were, shoppers are still surfing the Web. Ninety-two percent of online consumers use the Internet to shop and/or purchase online, according to E-Tailers vs. Retailers, the newest e-Visoryâ report published by leading marketing information provider, The NPD Group, Inc. The report shows that even those consumers who aren’t making purchases haven’t made a purchase online are still influenced by what they see on retailers’ Websites.

Eighty-four percent of occasional buyers, those who say they have made an online purchase only once in the past six months or less often, describe their usual use of the Internet for shopping as "I usually shop online and go offline to purchase."

"Measuring online sales alone cannot capture the full benefit of a retailer having an Internet presence. We know that even consumers who don’t typically purchase online are using retailers’ Websites to browse and decide what to buy," commented Pamela Smith, vice president of NPD online research. "Although it may not result in a purchase at that time, it could translate directly into an offline sale."