ONLINE GUY: Holiday gift hunters may set a plan, click to it

It's been said that the Internet changes everything. I don't know that everything has been changed, but how we shop certainly has been transformed by cyberspace.

Chances are if you surf the Web you've shopped online. You may not have made a purchase, but you've probably done research before heading to the store. Retailers with Web sites know the value of hanging their shingle online, where shoppers aren't restricted by hours, geography or uninformed sales people. People expect merchants to have a Web site.

Men shop differently than women, a report by Sue Larrison of Chicago-based Larrison Communications suggests. She drew on the results of several hundred studies conducted over five years with consumers between 25 and 55 years old.

"Women tend to be well organized and like to be prepared before they go shopping," she writes. "They often review the newspaper ads and Sunday supplements and then make a shopping list. Many have an ongoing list of what the household members need or want. Most women know how their favorite stores are arranged, so they plan their trip accordingly."

It's a different story for male shoppers, who "proudly proclaim that they 'don't shop, they buy.' Most men aren't especially interested in browsing around the store. They view shopping as a mission. The typical male approach is to home in on the target, buy it and get out of there as soon as possible.

"However, men admit to doing research on what they are shopping for before going to the store. They view this as intelligence gathering to make their mission time- and cost-efficient," Larrison said.

Some people are still not comfortable shopping online, viewing it as "a complicated and even overwhelming chore." The flood of Web sites, products, s, shipping fees and varying forms has heads spinning. Some people are still uncomfortable giving credit card information to a "stranger" online.

"As a result, most people use the Internet more for research and browsing than they do for buying," Larrison concludes. This Web-to-store habit is made easier by ShopLocal.com, a company that helps merchants get their printed sales circulars in front of Web users. The Reviewjournal.com site uses ShopLocal in the shopping channel (www.reviewjournal.com/shopping/).

Larrison said consumers view the World Wide Web as intriguing, intimidating and a great shopping tool.

"Most of the shoppers that I spoke to believe that the Internet is a great place to track down hard-to-find items, and that there are always good deals to be found," she said. "Most people are convinced that no matter what they are looking for, they'll find a bargain."

Tell me how you'll be using the Internet during the holiday season. Send an e-mail with the subject "Online Shopping," and I'll share the best in a future column.