"While the Internet has become a key information source for researching products, it doesn't have a major impact on consumers' final purchases, according to a new study.

Findings from the Pew Internet & American Life Project survey that track buying habits related to music, cell phones and homes suggest the Web is just one of a variety of resources people use before making purchases. And only a minority of consumers actually end up buying online directly.

John Horrigan, associate director of research for the Pew Internet Project, called the Internet a "tactical tool" rather than a "game-changer" when it comes to purchase decisions. "Even with a digital product such as music, you still see people learning about new music through friends and family," he said. "And they want to buy music in stores as opposed to online," he said."


Many news sites move articles into data bases after a period of time and then offer them for sale, in the process changing the URLs that link to them. Or they require registration. Thus, we provide a link to the front page of the news website and the information necessary to find the story on that site, rather than a direct link to the article.

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