Sunnyvale, Calif.–According to a new Yahoo! poll conducted by Harris Interactive, consumers see the Internet as essential to taking some of the pain out of holiday shopping. The survey finds that 66 percent of holiday shoppers plan to use online resources before making online or offline gift purchases. Among these holiday cyber-shoppers*, 75 percent say that going online to research products and services is the first stop in their holiday shopping experience and 90 percent agree they have a better overall shopping experience when they research products online prior to shopping in-store.

When it comes to shopping, many consumers said they would prefer a variety of mundane chores to venturing out to the local mall. According to the survey, about a third (34 percent) of online adults would rather do laundry than go shopping in a mall during the holiday season. Men, in particular, are mall-averse, with almost one in five men (18 percent) saying they would rather do their taxes, 33 percent would rather wash their car, and a quarter of men (25 percent) said they would rather shovel snow. Meanwhile, 37 percent of women would prefer writing holiday cards from the comfort of their homes over tackling holiday crowds at stores.

“The research reaffirms that the Internet has fundamentally changed the way consumers shop, becoming the first stop for many in the shopping process,” said Steven Feuling, Retail Category Development Officer for Yahoo!. “It’s imperative for retailers to embrace this fundamental change and offer solutions which address the specific needs of the consumer as they research, browse and potentially buy online.”

Regardless of where they shop, Americans are embracing the information and resources available online. In fact, 86 percent of holiday cyber-shoppers feel better about giving a gift when they’ve researched it online prior to purchase. The survey also found that more than half of online holiday shoppers (57 percent) plan to purchase at least a portion of their holiday gifts online this year.

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