OPA: Consumers spend more time with content

According to the Online Publishers Association, financial turmoil has increased attention to content sites for people looking for trusted information online. The latest OPA Internet Activity Index (IAI), based on data captured by Nielsen Online, from October 2008 showed that people are spending 6.1% more time on content sites that month vs. January 2008. In that same time period, time spent on commerce sites went down 20.4%, while time spent on community sites was up 16%. Time spent on communications sites was down 2.4%, probably due to more people using social networks such as Facebook to contact friends and colleagues, according to OPA's October IAI, which concludes that consuming content is the dominant way people spend time online, as consumers turn to the Internet for vital news and financial information.

Also, Silicon Alley Insider published some more recent comScore figures today, suggesting that online sales have stayed up since Cyber Monday (Dec. 1), with e-commerce up 9% y/y since then. Click here to learn more.