Survey Reveals Attention for Interactive E-commerce on Social Networks

88% of Online Shoppers Indicate Appealing Web Design Is a Factor in Initially Attracting Them to a Website

• Press Release
• Source: Volusion
• On 8:00 am EST, Monday November 17, 2008

AUSTIN, TX and SIMI VALLEY, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Nov 17, 2008 -- The results of a newly released consumer survey conducted by Harris Interactive® and commissioned by Volusion, a leading provider of complete all-in-one ecommerce solutions, found that consumers are looking to social networks for advice and recommendations on online purchases. The survey polled 2,462 adults 18 years and over who are online shoppers within the United States on key factors that go into their online purchase decisions.

Among online shoppers, key findings to the survey include:

 
--  27% said viewing comments on various items for sale would encourage
    them to shop on social networks
--  30% said special sales and exclusive products would encourage them to
    shop on social networks
--  48 % say easy-to-use features as a very important feature for
    initially attracting them to an online shopping website
--  92% of say brand is at least somewhat important to initially
    attracting them to an online shopping web site
--  32% would shop online more if sites were easier to use
--  24% would shop online more if checkout procedures were easier
--  50% of correspondents said special online-online offers would
    encourage them to shop online more frequently

"Since the birth of ecommerce, ten years ago, consumers have come to expect an advanced level of online shopping experience," said Kevin Sproles, CEO and founder of Volusion. "Beyond easy navigation and check out, consumers want online shopping to be integrated with the way they communicate with their peers, making their preferences and interests known on social networks (such as MySpace and Facebook) and enabling retailers to develop a more intimate relationship with them."

Earlier this year, Volusion announced its Social Store Builder(TM), allowing online store owners to go to where the traffic is and capitalize on an already existing channel with a captivated audience -- social networks. Volusion's solution allows featured products from the merchants' stores to be rotated on their social networking page and when the user is ready to buy, they are taken directly to the online store owner's secure checkout page -- eliminating the challenge of managing inventory and accounting, outside of the merchant's site.

About the Survey

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Volusion between September 30 and October 6, 2008 among 2,682 U.S. adults age 18 and over, of whom, 2,462 are online shoppers. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the online U.S. adult population on the basis of Internet usage (hours per week) and connection type. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete methodology, please contact Palak Shah.

About Volusion

Austin, TX-based Volusion is a leader in ecommerce solutions for online businesses. Over the last ten years, more than 10,000 companies have used Volusion to profit online, including market leaders such as Obama, PEZ, Chicago Tribune, Michigan State University, Bella Grey by Lisa Rinna and Crutchfield. Over the last three years, Volusion has grown by 1900 percent, making it one of the fastest growing companies in the nation. For more information about Volusion, please visit www.volusion.com.

About Harris Interactive®

Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

     For more information, contact:
     Palak Shah
     1.800.646.3517
     Palak_Shah@volusion.com