Online Shoppers Aren't Impulsive

Rollie Hawk writes "When it comes to online shoppers, conventional wisdom has long been divided. Some have argued that the instant nature of shopping from home over the Internet leads to quick purchases while others have contended that easy price comparisons on the Web allow buyers to do more research first. For now, it looks like the latter camp is closer to the truth. According to a press release by ScanAlert, online shoppers are more frugal than many retailers previously thought. According to their testing, 35% take more than 12 hours to make a purchase, 21% take more than three days, and 14% take more than a week. On the average, online shoppers take 19 hours to make a purchase after the initial visit. This has some important marketing ramifications according to ScanAlert CEO Ken Leonard. "The implication to merchants is that the shopping cart is not just a convenience factor. It must be a comfort zone to shoppers. These results were not expected." In the press release, Leonard advised online sellers that "consumers abandon shopping carts with an ease that frustrates and often confuses online retailers. Retailers must understand, however, that almost half of all online purchases are from shoppers who leave a site after the first visit, and return -- even days later -- to buy.""

Comments

Hollywood creates Boy Scout merit badge on copyrig

[Anonymous Coward]

Boy Scouts in Hong Kong now can earn merit badges for learning about the wonders of copyright law -- at least the version described by the Motion Picture Association.

The MPA, the Hong Kong Scout Association, and the Hong Kong government announced the program this week. It's the first of its type anywhere in the world.

"The Intellectual Property Badge Award Program will provide thousands of young people -- future leaders -- with a better understanding of the value of intellectual property and of the importance of protecting it," Mike Ellis, senior vice president of the MPA, said in a press release.

It's not unprecedented for one industry to create a merit badge. The Boy Scouts currently offers a long list of badges including "American Business," "American Labor," "Auto Mechanics," "Electronics," "Law," and "Nuclear Science."

It's not clear, though, how much time the MPA's merit badge curriculum will devote to the value of fair use, the problems that region coding on DVDs can create for legitimate purchasers, and the unintended consequences of "anti-circumvention" laws like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Looks like the para-military youth organization started by a latent paedophile is keeping up with the times in indoctrinating our boys with corporate groupthink.