December 11, 2000

Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 e-mail <paustin@oregon.uoregon.edu>

Can’t find the toy you want for your favorite niece or nephew? Can’t get that special sweater in the right color? Try shopping on the Internet, advises Lynn Kahle, a University of Oregon marketing expert who did his own holiday shopping online. Kahle says buying gifts on the Internet is not only convenient, it’s also more reliable than prowling the malls. "Even brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-Mart are using Internet sales to bolster in-store profits," he says. This season, long-time catalog retail companies also are offering new services through the Internet. "Customers of Lands’ End, for example, can build virtual models of themselves that lets them ‘try on’ clothing before they buy," Kahle says. Another incentive for virtual shopping, he says, is the ability of the Internet to quickly find the best bargains. Kahle acknowledges that some potential customers may stay away, fearing a repeat of last year’s slow delivery by many e-tailers. But, he says, e-tailers learned from last year’s mistakes. "They know everyone is watching them. Investment funds are drying up for e-tailers. This is the make-or-break year to show they can make a profit and attract the new investors they need to survive," he says. SOURCE: Lynn Kahle, UO professor of marketing, (541) 346-3373; e-mail <lkahle@oregon.uoregon.edu>.

—30—