Yesterday, comScore held its State of the U.S. Online Retail Economy for the first quarter of 2009. Their data showed that search is still a potent way to reach customers online, but driving consumers to search via display advertising is even more powerful.
While most categories are taking a hit due to the recession, some are still experiencing growth:
comScore said that many people are choosing to save instead of spend. Consumers with household incomes of $100k or higher and those in older demographics were more likely to save and cut back on spending (since more of their income is disposable and many have lost savings via the stock market).
Still, when consumers do make purchases, the internet remains a valuable resource: