A survey just released by Questus, an interactive marketing and research firm, appears to show that Valentine's Day shoppers are "spreading the love" more this year because of the ability to shop online. Two out of three respondents said that they would buy more — and a greater variety of — gifts for their special someone this Valentine's Day due to online shopping.

The report was based on an Internet survey using Questus' proprietary panel, Big Look. The 1040 respondents were all employed U.S. residents over the age of 18. The sample audience was evenly split between men and women.

According to the survey, the vast majority of online shoppers, four out of five, report that they are not concerned that buying gifts online is less romantic than selecting a gift from a store. In fact, nearly half claim that shopping online has "saved" them at least once from someone getting angry with them for missing Valentine's Day. Two in five online Valentine's Day shoppers said they would miss giving gifts altogether if it weren't for online shopping.

Questus' survey also found an interesting trend: Half (51 percent) of online Valentine's Day shoppers claim they are more generous on Valentine's Day because of online shopping.

Online merchants should take note of some of the findings in Questus' survey, as merchants can take steps to ensure a more comfortable buying experience for its customers. The survey indicates that merchants allaying concerns about products not matching their photos or descriptions is also important for increasing Valentine's Day spending online. Why? Because people fear disappointing their Valentines.

For example, Questus asked respondents, "What would have made your Valentine's Day shopping experience better on the sites where you made purchases?"

Shoppers said:

• Better prices (including shipping costs): 46 percent
• Faster page download speeds: 30 percent
• Easier to locate products: 26 percent
• Better product photos: 24 percent
• Faster/Easier checkout: 23 percent
• Easier to use site(s), overall: 23 percent
• Better product descriptions: 22 percent
• Better product selection: 19 percent
• Better search: 18 percent
• Better customer service: 14 percent

Questus also asked respondents what they liked least about online shopping for Valentine's Day. Some of the respondents said, "Sometimes it can be a crapshoot, as the pictures and descriptions are frequently misleading," "You don't actually see the product in some cases, and unless you've dealt with the vendor before, you don't know exactly if things are going to work out the way you anticipated."

Other survey findings include:

• Following record-breaking online spending during the holidays this past December, consumers continue to look to internet retailers for gifts-the Questus survey finds that 40 percent of those shopping for Valentine's Day this year will do so online, with almost half spending upwards of $100.
• The internet has had an effect on traditional brick and mortar retail performance this Valentine's Day as well: A fifth (20 percent) of those who did none of their Valentine's Day gift purchasing online researched their gifts on internet sites before eventually purchasing the items at a store.

Not surprisingly, the most popular types of products/services purchased online for Valentine's Day are led by flowers (43 percent), chocolate/candy (33 percent) and jewelry and watches (29 percent).

Devin Comiskey is the Managing Editor of ECommerce-Guide.com.

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