Online Wins vs. Catalogs, Stores On Price

Only 4% of 3,000 online consumers believe that catalogs offer better prices than the Internet, says new research from Greenfield Online Inc., Wilton, Conn. Stores fair better in price perceptions, with 1 in 5 believing that stores offer better prices, the firm found; however, 50% of online shoppers today believe that the Internet is the place where, in general, they are able to find the lowest prices. Greenfield Online surveyed people after the 1999 holiday season to learn their experience with price issues when buying holiday gifts online, and the company also has been tracking consumer price perception in its quarterly Digital Consumer Shopping Index. The belief that the Internet is where the best prices can be found has been apparent in each study, Greenfield claims.