E-Commerce Notes

• The Web is becoming more of a tool and less of a toy, according to findings of the Pew Internet and American Life Project. As users become more experienced they spend less time online but do more serious kinds of things. In a survey of 1,500 people, the Project found that the number of Internet users who had made at least one online purchase grew from 45% in 2000 to 58% in 2001.

• The research and consulting firm Jupiter Media Metrix estimates that the number of online shoppers will double in the next four years from 67 million (currently) to 132 million.

• In November, 2001, about 20% of the 106 million people who logged on to the Internet in the U.S did so via broadband access, according to research conducted by Nielsen/NetRatings. The number using broadband access was 90% higher than in November, 2000. "Broadband surfers tend to log on more often, stay online longer and are more likely to shop online than narrowband surfers," according to T.S. Kelly, director and principal analyst for NetRatings. Across all types of access, the average Internet user logged on 33 times during the month and spent 18 hours, 14 minutes and 45 seconds online.