Tech Report: Online Holiday Shopping Still An Option For Procrastinators
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Shoppers waiting until the last minute to finish their holiday shopping may not know that they still have time to buy those gifts online.
According to a new survey from Visa Inc., 73 percent of shoppers still haven't finished shopping for Christmas gifts. And according to the more than 1,000 interviews conducted, the survey found that 16 percent of consumers haven't even purchased a single gift and do all of their shopping at the last-minute.
KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid:
Much of that shopping might be done online. Sites like Amazon have said that orders placed through Tuesday will arrive by Christmas Eve, and for its Prime members, orders can be made as late as Friday.
Deadlines for other online retailers vary but many will push the date back even further if customers agree to expedited shipping.
According to comScore, a global leader in measuring the digital world, holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 44 days of the November-December 2012 holiday season stands at $33.8 billion, a 13 percent increase versus the same period last year. And the most recent workweek saw four individual days eclipse $1 billion in spending.
The one problem with last-minute online shopping is that if something goes wrong, your package could be delayed and won't arrive in time for the holidays.
But there are also plenty of options for electronic delivery that make a lot of sense if buying online, such as gift certificates, games or apps for phones.
You can hear Larry Magid's Tech Report Monday through Friday at 3:50pm on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.
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