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Although many shoppers will have less to spend during this holiday season, some of that money will find its way to online retailers.

Budget Crunches Nudge Shoppers Online

More than a quarter of holiday shoppers surveyed by Zogby for AOL Shopping plan to part with at least half of their shopping dollars online this year.

26 percent of survey respondents planned to spend this way. Out of the overall survey, 74 percent will spend some of their budgets with online retailers.

Books, movies, and music will be the gift of choice for 57 percent of shoppers. Apparel items and gift cards followed those entertainment options as the top three holiday purchases online.

Internet retailers should take note of browsing habits by shoppers. Though many will make their purchases offline, 69 percent of those surveyed plan to do some research online first. That's an opportunity for online entrepreneurs to offer a conversion opportunity, like a mailing list of upcoming deals, to those visitors.

Despite all the sunny news out of the White House about the economy, real-world respondents name lower income as the top reason for chopping their holiday budgets. General economic concerns and skyrocketing energy costs had an impact too.

Such concerns should be suggestive to online advertisers. People may demonstrate substantial price sensitivity when shopping this year. Ad copy conveying a suggestion of better pricing could help retailers draw some extra landing page visits.

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