I remember back in the late 90s when the big question was whether shopping online was actually secure -- fast forward to now when shopping online is normal. So normal that even teens are doing it with their parents blessing. When you talk to teens, many will tell you they don't like buying stuff online -- especially clothes, because they can't try them on, hate paying for shipping and returns are a pain. Yet surveys like this new one from Shopzilla (which of course is biased towards shopping online), seem to contradict this sentiment. Not only are teens shopping online, but more of them are doing it with their own money and credit cards. I'm guessing these parents are mostly middle and upper class as well. According to a survey of 672 parents conducted for shopping search site Shopzilla by BizRate Research:

Half of the teens have jobs and of those with jobs, 41% work part-time, while an ambitious nine percent work full-time.

- This industrious behavior enables one-third of teens to pay for their purchases independently
- Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the participants say their teens have savings accounts
- 42% of the parents say their teens write checks
- More than one-fifth (21%) of the parents say their teens have credit cards in their own name

Of the 58% of teens who are shopping online:

- 24% make more than one purchase a month
- 15% shop online a few times a month
- 14% shop online once a month
- 45% shop online a few times a year

Boys' and girls' five most popular purchases

Five most popular items teen girls buy with their own money:

- Apparel and Accessories (67%)
- Music (60%)
- Books (45%)
- DVDs/Videos (43%)
- Health & Beauty aids (43%)

Five most popular items teen boys buy with their own money:

- Video Games (58%)
- Music (50%)
- DVDs/Videos (39%)
- Apparel and Accessories (35%)
- Computer Software (32%)

Dare to compare

In a separate study by Forrester Research*, teens are shown to be remarkably thoughtful in their purchases. Prior to purchasing online, teens are reading reviews and comparing prices:

Girls:

- Over 40% under 18 look at product reviews
- 35% visit comparison shopping sites

Boys:

- 40-45% under 18 read product reviews
- Just under 40% visit comparison shopping sites

The vast majority of parents (80%) feel their teens do not hold the purse strings in the family:

- Only 1% of parents say their teen always holds the purse strings
- Two-thirds of parents of teenagers feel that their teens have little or no influence on household spending decisions (66%)

Parents do feel that their teens influence household spending decisions in the following categories:

- Groceries (55%)
- Apparel (48%)
- Entertainment (46%)
- Electronics (22%)
- Cars (6%)

Posted by anastasia