A new industry study says that more than half of all online consumers would buy more online if reward points or incentives were offered at e-commerce sites.

The survey of 1,905 online consumers by NFO Interactive found that nearly 53 percent of online consumers said they would gladly increase the amount they spent in transactions at a specific retail Web site if loyalty points or incentives were offered.

Moreover, 47 percent of the online consumers said they would return regularly to a specific e-commerce or retail Web site if they knew they would receive reward points or other loyalty incentives. Only 15 percent of online consumers indicated rewards programs have no influence on their purchasing decisions.

"Web site effectiveness was once measured by the number of hits. Today, it's measured by purchases. Online consumers have the 'Gimme Factor.' That is, 'I'm here at your Web site. Now make it worth my while to buy something'," said Lee Smith, vice president at NFO Interactive.

"Rewards and incentive programs, when used strategically online, are among the most powerful tools marketers can use today to drive customer retention and develop customer loyalty. And they are particularly effective with consumers under 35 years of age."

NFO Interactive also said the survey shows that more than half of the respondents would gladly provide personal information in return for a reward or incentive.

Steering away from sweepstakes, consumers prefer the following types of rewards:

• Products or gifts: 28%
• Airline miles: 18%
• Gift Certificates to Retailers: 16%
• Electronic Cash: 14%

"Just as off-line retailers are looking to create life-long, profitable customers, online retailers desire the same type of relationship. Rewards and incentive programs are proving to be a successful tool to cultivate customer loyalty on the Web," Smith said.

Participants for the NFO Interactive study were acquired from the NFO//net.source, a representative online consumer panel consisting of more than 450,000 individuals. Among online shoppers the data collected possesses a statistical accuracy of +/- 2.3 percent, the company said..

NFO Interactive is a unit of NFO Worldwide Inc., a provider of research-based marketing information. With almost 13,000 full- and part-time employees operating in 32 countries, NFO services include advice on market evaluation, product development, brand management, customer satisfaction, pricing, distribution, and advertising effectiveness.

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