October 23, 2000
Results of the September WestTrack poll show:
More than One of Four Arizona Residents Have Made Purchases over the Internet
The vast majority rate the experience positively
More than one of four (27%) Arizona residents say they have purchased something over the Internet, and more than nine of ten (91%) rate their online buying experiences as good or better, according to the results of a poll conducted by WestGroup Research of Phoenix.
Men Purchase More
The research conducted with 402 residents in September shows that men
were more inclined to say they had made purchases via the Internet than
were women (34% to 21%).
Age
More than two of five (44%) residents aged 30 to 49 had made Internet
purchases, compared to about one of three aged 29 or younger (29%). Less
than one of six (15%) residents aged 50 or older said they had made an
Internet purchase.
Higher Incomes Buy More Online
As one might expect, the likelihood to purchase goods or services
over the Internet increases significantly as a respondent's annual household
income rises. Such purchases were made by one of eight (12%) residing
in homes with incomes of less than $25,000. The proportion rises to one
of four (26%) within households with incomes of $25,000 to $54,999 and
to two of five (39%) who live in homes with incomes of $55,000 to $74,999.
Clearly the group most likely to buy via the Internet are those with the most disposable income; three of five (62%) residing in homes with incomes of $75,000 or more say they have made Internet purchases.
Phoenicians, Tucson and rural AZ
Residents of the Phoenix area (33%) were more likely to say they have
made Internet purchases than those living in metro Tucson (19%) or rural
Arizona (19%).
Not a Typical Experience
More than half (53%) of the residents who have made Internet purchases
indicate it is not a typical activity for them in that they only rarely
buy online. Conversely, approximately one of six (16%) who have made Internet
purchases say they do so often. About one of four (27%) say they make
online purchases sometimes. Four percent do not plan to buy online again.
High Satisfaction
Satisfaction with the experience of buying through the Internet appears
to be quite high. More than nine of ten (91%) rate the buying experience
as at least good and three of five say their purchase encounters have
been very good (33%) or excellent (27%). Seven percent saw their Internet
buying activities as fair or poor, and one respondent characterized the
experience as very poor.
Flying's the Hot Ticket
Of those who had bought goods and services through the Internet, more
than half (54%) said they had purchased airline tickets online. More than
three of four (78%) residents with household incomes of $75,000 or more
said their purchases included airline tickets.
Approximately two of five (39%) with Internet buying experience said they had purchased books online. Other items purchased online included CDs or audiotapes (28%), clothing (20%), tickets to concerts or plays (17%), videotapes (11%) and movie tickets (9%).
Auctions
Residents who have made online purchases were asked if they had bought
anything within the past year through Internet auctions, such as E-Bay,
or buying services, such as Price-Line. More than one of four (28%) said
they had made purchases through online auctions. Nearly three of four
(74%) who made purchases through online auctions were men. While about
a third (32%) of the online auction consumers said they had made only
one purchase in that manner in the past year, more than half (55%) said
they had made such purchases at least five times.
Buying Services
Slightly more than one of five (22%) said they had used online buying
services, such as Price-Line, to make purchases in the past year. However,
most had done so only once or twice (79%), and none had used these services
more than five times in the past year. None of the retired respondents
who had made online purchases had used these services.
View the verbatim question used in this poll.
