Spectacular Growth in Internet Shopping.

In the 80 plus metropolitan markets surveyed regularly by The Media Audit, 25.4 percent of all adults made five or more purchases on the Internet during 2003. In 2000, just 14.4 percent made five or more purchases.

The metro markets surveyed have a collective population of 128.9 million adults. Of that total number, 32.8 million made five or more purchases on the Internet during 2003. The survey results are based on 27,603 respondents who logged onto the Internet during the past month.

“The 25.4 is not a percent of just those adults who visit the Internet on a regular basis. It is 25.4 percent of all adults in the markets surveyed.” says Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, Inc., a 33-year-old market research firm which produces The Media Audit.

Jordan said he was very impressed with the strength of the e-commerce growth curve of 5 plus purchases on the Internet: “From 14.4 percent in 2000 it moved to 19.7 percent in 2001 and then to 22.5 in 2002 before reaching 25.4 in 2003. That’s very strong growth and most of it occurred in a very sluggish economy.”

Media Habits of Internet Shoppers

Those who shop on the Internet don’t spend all their time on the Internet. Among Wall Street Journal readers, 51.2 percent made five or more purchases on the Internet in 2003. With New York Times readers, 49.3 percent did the same, and with USA Today readers it was 38.8 percent.

Approximately 31.6 percent of those who read the travel section of their local newspaper also made five or more purchases on the Internet last year. In addition, 30.7 percent of those who are regular readers of the business section of their local newspaper also made five or more Internet purchases. They also listen to radio. Of those who listen to the radio between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. on average weekdays, 29.4 percent made five or more Internet purchases in 2003. Among those who listen to the radio between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., 30.7 percent made five or more purchases.

Demographic Profile of Shoppers

Demographically those who made more than five Internet purchases during the previous year are mostly affluent but – not – mostly young. Of all those who made five or more purchases, 67.3 have household incomes of $50,000 or more. In the general population, just 44.9 percent of households have annual incomes of $50,000 plus.

Adults between the ages of 25 to 54 represent 59.6 percent of the general population surveyed but they represent 74.0 percent of those who made five or more purchases. The youngest age group surveyed 18-24, makes up 12.9 percent of the adult population but only 11.2 percent of the five time shoppers.

“The media habits and demographic profiles offered here are composites of the 80 plus metro markets we survey,” says Bob Jordan, “On an individual market basis the media habits and demographic profiles can vary significantly.”

The percentage of adults in a metro market that made five or more purchases during the past year ranges from a high of 35.6 percent in Washington, D.C., to a low of 15.7 percent in Ocala, Florida.

More than 30 percent of adults in the following markets made five or more purchases in 2003:

Washington, D.C., 35.6; San Jose, 34.8; Seattle-Tacoma, 33.7; Des Moines, 32.8; New Haven, 32.8; Boston, 32.1; Madison, 32.0; Hartford, 31.1 and Reno, 30.2.

Less than 20 percent of the adults in the following markets made five or more purchases in 2003: Fort Myers-Naples, 19.5; San Antonio, 19.3; Pittsburgh, 19.2; Dayton, 18.8; Greensboro-Winston- Salem, 18.4; Greenville-Spartanburg, 17.3; Columbia (SC), 16.3 and Ocala (FL), 15.7.

For more information at http://www.TheMediaAudit.com