= 3657-22 — ~_@et. @._ Oe. _@ 80 88" e~— Of ry (oe —=@er ea @@e ec $ex=s ~~ Holiday Shopping Simpitied (NAPSA)—If you want to reduce stress this holiday season, give yourself the gift of time. That’s the advice from an expert in consumer behavior who predicts time-starved Americans will turn increasingly to the Internet this year to managetheir holiday shoppingchores. “The key to reducing stress in any shopping situation is to not \ & wait until the last minuteto doit, but of course, many of us are guilty of that even though we know we shouldn’t wait,” says Dr. David J. Urban, professor of marketing at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Business. Dr. Urban explains that consumerstend to be “time poor,” and that the Internet provides them with an opportunity to investigate a lot of products. “Many Web sites allow consumers to do side-by-side comparisons of products. If a consumer can size up three or four products against each other on the computer screen, it really streamlines the purchase process,” says Dr. Urban. “And many consumerslike to check things out on the Web and then goto a traditional retail store to see the product in person before buyingit.” The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales this year to increase to $474.5 billion, and predicts consumers will do almost one-third of their holiday shopping online. “Our own research shows that about half of the customers who purchase consumerelectronics in our stores have done product Last- minute shoppers can use the Web to shop online and then pick up their items at the actual retail stores. research beforehand at our Web site,” said Mark Oldani, vice president and general managerof Circuit City Direct. “And, as the holidays approach, more and more of our customers whobuy online with us choose to pick up their purchases in our stores. On Christmas Eve, that can be a reallifesaver for last-minute shoppers.” Who’s Procrastinating? “Women are just as time starved as men. Two-career households are a big reason for that,” says Urban. “Womenare also just as likely as men to use the Web for product information and for ordering. Retailers that have both a Web presence and brick-andmortar stores report that it is not unusual for people to come into the store carrying printouts of Web pages containing information about products.” For more information, visit www.circuitcity.com.
