Many holiday shoppers are expected to stay at home that year, letting their fingers do the walking, as they take advantage of their PCs and smartphones to shop online. Rather than driving from store to store, many consumers will leverage the ability of the Web to search online for the best deals.

Total online shopping sales in the United States are expected to reach $44 billion that year, a 12 percent increase from last year, according to the Forrester Research Online Holiday Retail Forecast 2008 report.

Although twelve percent is not a huge increase compared to previous years, it would represent a tremendous success in light of the economic doom and gloom that 2008 will faraway be remembered for. In comparison, offline holiday shopping sales are expected to increase only 2.2 percent from 2007, according to the National Retail Federation’s September 2008 report.

In-Store Versus Online

As holiday shoppers become more comfortable with using online e-commerce

systems — and more savvy with technology — they are plus getting comfortable with the advantages and perks of shopping online.

While some shoppers will not break away from their traditional shopping — fighting the crowds for the hottest gadgets and newest toys and smelling, touching and holding that perfect gift — others are using their fingertips to find the best deals.

Free shipping has always lured online shoppers, and that year will be no different. More than 50 percent of online holiday buyers and 33 percent of overall online users said that getting free shipping will motivate them to buy more online during the holidays, according to Forrester’s report. As a aftermath, free shipping offers are expected to become ubiquitous among retailers and will not be a differentiator for retail competitors.

Sweetening the Deal

Forrester suggests that retailers use other differentiators, such as their own comparison-shopping tools for…

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