Overview

While most analysts and commentators charted the daily ups and downs of the online retail sector during the holiday season, the bigger story about the Internet during the holidays was a social one. People used email to make their holiday plans; they sent online holiday greetings to loved ones and friends; they used the Internet to get ideas on how to celebrate the season; and they sought religious material online. The online population sees the Internet more as a tool for information gathering and communications than for commercial transactions. There was more browsing for gift ideas than buying, many shoppers halted their purchases online for a variety of reasons, and many shop online while at work.