Eight out of Ten US Consumers Shop Online at Least Once a Week

Study results exposed a number of consistent trends:

• Consumers are seeking out retailers on Facebook and Twitter in growing numbers, 31 percent report checking out Facebook fan pages or Twitter feeds of retailers, almost twice as many people as in Q3 2009.

• Data show that over the next six months, the "most shopped" products online will be entertainment products -- including movies, music, video games, e-media and books. Second on the list? Apparel.

• 44% of consumers reported that they research electronics online, but ultimately purchase electronics at a store, 30% do so with kitchen items, 28% with media and 28% prefer to research furniture online and buy it in the store.

• Top reasons why consumers opt to make purchases in a store are to avoid shipping costs (62%), to try on, touch or feel an item (57%) and immediacy (50%).

Marketers can overcome the primary barriers to buying online by offering incentives that address the reasons many consumers research products online, but buy offline. Some of the top ways to encourage consumers to buy more products online are free shipping (87 percent), free returns (63 percent), and fast shipping (42 percent). In addition, the ability to use in-store coupons online is increasingly valued among consumers -- 51 percent indicated it is a motivator to make more purchases online -- up from the 19 percent reported in Q1 2010.