The online retail generation gap

Young web users see opportunities where older users are more likely to see threats when it comes to online shopping, according to a new survey of more than 1500 web users reported by Time Business.

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 62% of web users under age 30 consider the internet to best place to find good deals, while only 32% of users age 65 and older do.

Older users, on the other hand, are much more likely to find online shopping complicated, with 34% of people over 65 saying they had difficulty figuring it out compared to 24% of youngsters.

They are also much less prepared to use their credit cards online – perhaps a sign of wisdom – with 82% of older users saying they dislike giving out their details compared to 72% of people younger than 30.

On the whole, however, the research showed that online retail has become much more mainstream over the past few years. In June 2000, 22% of people reported having made a purchase online, but by September 2007 that number had increased 49%.

Interestingly, people are more likely to do background research on a product than actually make a purchase online – almost 60% of all Americans say they have used the internet for product-related research in September 2007, up from 35% who had done this in June 2000.