ORONO, Maine-Specialty coffee, tea and cocoa, candy and chocolate, and gourmet gift baskets were among the most frequently shopped categories in on-line specialty retail stores in 2000, according to a report released in May by the University of Maine here.

"Online Specialty Food and Beverage Consumers in 2001: Who They Are and What They Buy Online," released in May, is the fifth consecutive report of its kind and is based on data gleaned from 7,549 surveys collected in large part through the Internet.

About one half of respondents reported at least one of the products included in their most recent on-line purchase was not available locally. Only 14.1 percent of respondents purchased items they knew were available in their local area.

On average, on-line buyers made 4.5 specialty food and beverage purchases in the previous six months, spending an average $203, excluding shipping and handling costs. Individual on-line transactions averaged $45, said the report.

Respondents aged 35 to 54 tended to buy specialty food and beverages on line in greater proportion than younger respondents, the report stated.

Respondents who subscribed to one or more of the most common food and beverage magazines-including Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Cooking Light and Martha Stewart Living-were more likely to have purchased specialty food and/or beverages on line than those who did not, concluded the study. Nearly 54 percent of those who subscribed to three or more food-related magazines made at least one on-line purchase vs. 28.8 percent who did not subscribe to any.

For more information about this study, contact Gregory White at 207-581-3159 or gwhite@maine.edu.

Copyright United Publications, Inc. Aug 2001
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