The holiday season will be challenging for retailers but more than half (56.1%) of online retailers expect to increase sales at least fifteen percent over last year according to a study conducted by Shopzilla for Shop.org."Online retailers are resilient, but not immune, to the challenges of this holiday season," said Scott Silverman, Executive Director of Shop.org.
Online Video Users Follow Election Closely
Cisco has released a new survey conducted by Compete about the influence of online video and social media applications on American’s political engagement.The Internet was cited by 62 percent of respondents as a regularly used source for 2008 presidential election information and coverage, which was surpassed only by television (82%).Traffic to popular online video sites increased fivefold in 2008 compared to 2004. About 30 percent of registered voters said they used online video to follow 2008 presidential election coverage.
Kids See Less Online Ads Than Adults
Younger Internet users between the ages of 12-17 years old are accustomed to less online advertising on the Web sites they visit than adults of all ages, according to a new report from Nielsen Online.An analysis of online advertising clutter found that Internet users 65+ were exposed to the most clutter, while children 2-11 experienced the least.Since Web sites geared towards children have little to no advertising, it is not unusual that the youngest Web site visitors are usually exposed to a low level of advertising clutter.
Christian Science Monitor To Move Online Only
The Christian Science Monitor said Tuesday that it is dropping its daily print format and will move to a daily online publication.In April of 2009 the Monitor said it will introduce an updated version of its Web site, CSMonitor.com, and launch a weekly print edition and a daily online subscription.
Women Driving Online Video Growth
The growth in the online video audience is no longer being driven by early adopters but has spread to other demographic segments that use it to access media.Over the past six months, the popularity of online video has grown significantly with women and older consumers, helping to close the age and gender gap within the growing online video audience in the U.S. according to data from Ipsos Media CT’s Motion study.
EU Lawmakers Approve Online Child Safety Program
The vote’s been tallied, and the European Union’s new Safer Internet program turned out to be roughly as controversial as claiming that water’s wet. While almost three percent of members abstained, a full 96 percent of the European Parliament agreed to spend 55 million to protect children online.
More Holiday Shoppers To Go Online To Save
U.S. online retail sales this holiday season will reach $44 billion, a 12 percent increase over last year and the slowest growth rate to date, according to Forrester Research.Consumers are pessimistic about the state of the economy but they still have a significant interest in the ability of the Internet to save them money. Forty-eight percent of consumers, compared with 41 percent in 2007, said they can find the best values and deals online.
Online Entertainment Applications Dominate Evening Hours
Internet users behavior is shifting as online entertainment-based applications such as gaming, video streaming, social networking and VoIP communications dominate peak evening hours between 6:00 and 11:00p.m., according to a report from network equipment company Sandvine.The report found these real-time, interactive applications increase up to 50 percent per subscriber during peak evening hours.
Wal-Mart Launches Online Videos Of Presidential Candidates
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc has launched a video-based voter guide that allows both major candidates, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, to share their views on issues with the company’s customers and employees.
Online Video By the Numbers
These days, I’m constantly writing about the growth of online video, and how it is becoming more mainstream. There is news to report on the matter about every day. Partnerships are formed. New offerings are made available.