American consumers will be increasing their online shopping, as states by a research report, confirms the National Retail Federation (NRF). The 11th annual Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research Inc. with a sample size of 125 retailers stated that online sales will rise by 17% to amount to $204 billion. The key most sought categories in online shopping will be apparels ($26.6 billion), computers ($23.9 billion), and autos ($19.3 billion).

This is despite the increase in overheads, including shipping costs, the economic low down in the US economy. The shopping incentive for consumers is two-fold; the convenience of economic shopping (at the best prices) without having to travel and the varied choices for those with an affluent taste.

The report also said that online retailers allot 53% of their marketing budgets in acquiring online customers, while 21% is spent for retaining these online customers. Some are also opting for traditional acquisition programs such as search engine or affiliate marketing.