Garden and Gifts Attract New Buyers

The Home and Garden category attracts the highest percentage of first-time buyers, followed by the Gift category according to analysis by BizRate.com.

[IC_ARTICLE_OBJECT [SHOW IC_Article_ID] “table1”] BizRate examined online purchasing patterns within the top Internet consumer product categories over a four-month period from November 1998 to February 1999.

The Home and Garden category (including gardens supplies, pet supplies, toys, and sporting goods) attracts the highest percentage of online buyers at 15 percent, while the Gift category (including flowers, chocolate, baskets, and greeting cards) attracts approximately 12.5 percent of its business from first-time buyers. According to BizRate.com, the remaining categories stack up like this: Apparel, Consumer Goods, Food and Wine, and Computer Goods (see table).

BizRate.com also predicts that both the Home and Garden and Gift category will make online shopping for Mother’s Day more attractive than ever to Web newcomers. Last year, BizRate.com monitored Web purchasing activity in the weeks preceding and following Mother’s Day and found that online spending in the Gift category jumped 322 percent during the week of Mother’s Day compared to a baseline week.

“The Home and Garden and Gift categories are a strong draw for new users who are discovering the immense product availability, affordability, and convenience of Web buying,” said Farhad Mohit, president and CEO of BizRate.com. “With Mother’s Day just around the corner, online shoppers have a wealth of purchase options from which to choose, everything from house wares to greeting cards.”