JupiterResearch Finds that Teenagers Will Spend $3 Billion Online in 2006
Tuesday, 12 December 2006
JupiterResearch, a leading authority on the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on business, finds that teenage shoppers are becoming an increasingly influential online consumer retail demographic.
Detailed in a new report, "Teen Online Shoppers: Reach Teen Influencers and Early Adopters Through Consumer-Created Content," one in four teens say their parents always take into account their opinion about household purchases.
"Even though teens account for only three percent of online sales right now, they can be very influential on overall household buying," said Patti Freeman Evans, JupiterResearch senior analyst and lead author of the report. "Retailers should not ignore where teens go to get information about product purchases, especially at this time of year."
JupiterResearch finds that few teens actually make purchases online independently. Of teens who make purchases online, 83 percent still make purchases with their parents present, via their parents' credit or debit card. However, alternative methods of payment, such as PayPal and gift certificates, have grown in popularity and allow teens to make purchases by themselves.
"Retailers should look to consumer-created content and sites with expert advice to target early-adopter teens," said David Schatsky, president of JupiterKagan. "Teenagers are internet-savvy and retailers must understand their characteristics and behaviors to catch them as them as they begin making their first independent online purchases."