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Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Email Alert Internet Daily for Thursday, November 15, 2001 by Frank Barnako CBS MarketWatch.com Eshoppers break out their mice Online holiday shoppers have begun cruising the Web in earnest, but whether they're spending more than last year remains to be seen. Nielsen/NetRatings says the volume of visitors to shopping sites the past week has increased vs the same period a year ago. "This year's online holiday shopping season kicked off stronger than last year by increasing 14%, compared to 10% a year ago," said Sean Kaldor, vice president for analytical services. Visits to Web sites in the toys and games category showed an overall 65.7% rise in the week ending Nov. 11, compared to the previous week. Toysrus.com and Lego.com were the largest gainers. Home and garden sites had a 40.5% traffic rise and 18.9% more people visited computer hardware sites. Total domestic sales online topped $1 billion last week, according to another Web analysis firm, ComScore Networks. The volume was the highest since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The increase was driven by a rebound in travel services and other non-travel categories, such as apparel, indicating early momentum in the holiday shopping season, the company said. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Web users resist paying fees Web sites counting on generating subscription revenue face big challenges finding customers. The Pew Internet & American Life Project surveyed several thousand Web users and found that while 17% of them said they have been asked to pay for access to a Web site for content, only 12% of them did so. Half said they found a free alternative, according to Lee Rainie, the Project's director. The research also found the Internet has had an impact on millions of Americans' lives. Twelve percent say they or family members have lost money investing in Internet companies, and 14% know someone laid off by an Internet company or firm that supplies services to Web companies. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Credit card fraud top merchant worry More than half the online merchants questioned in a recent survey say online credit card fraud is their primary concern as they go into the holiday season. Almost two-thirds of them are taking more precautions this year than last, including more manual checking of submitted information, according to Cybersource, which provides transaction services for retailers. Emerchants are optimistic: 54% expect their sales volume to grow an average of 37% this year from last. ----------------------------------------------------------------- eBay uncorks wine sales EBay is offering wine for sale. Chief Executive Meg Whitman made the announcement during a speech at the Comdex Computer show in Las Vegas. "We think it's a big market, we think it's a fun market," she said, according to CNET. The company's Web site includes wines, wine racks and even a complete winemaking facility, with set up and training. She said eBay will list items only from sellers licensed to distribute wine, and will not make sales in states where such shipments are illegal. ----------------------------------------------------------------- For late-breaking market news you can't afford to miss, go to http://CBS.MarketWatch.com/ ================================================================ LOGIN to access your account: https://investing.schwab.com/trading/start ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe or modify your Email Alert customization options, log in using the link below or copy and paste it into your browser's address window: https://investing.schwab.com/trading/start?SANC=EAMyAlerts ---------------------------------------------------------------- Notice: All email sent to or from the Charles Schwab corporate email system may be retained, monitored and/or reviewed by Schwab personnel. (0801-11478) Copyright 2001 CBS MarketWatch. All rights reserved. Commercial use or redistribution in any form, printed or electronic, is prohibited. Distribution by Quris, Inc.
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