If you plan to avoid the crowds and shop from home this holiday season, you'll have plenty of company. Shoppers plan to spend more than half of their holiday budget by shopping online, according to a poll by America Online. The same poll also found that Americans plan to boost their online spending by 6.5 percent, reaching an average of $295 per household this year.
Why the surge in Internet shopping? One reason may be that e-tailers continue to add new features that make online shopping easier. Companies now let shoppers search their sites by categories ranging from gift type to price range.
The online children's superstore, eToys (www.etoys.com), even lets shoppers sort by the age of the recipient, gender or toy category. Shoppers can use the site's search function to quickly locate the right gift from its selection of more than 10,000 items. They can also use the site's Gift Finder feature to see the experts' handpicked recommendations for each specific gift search.
Here's a look at the children's gifts the experts at eToys predict will be hot this year:
Baby
• LeapFrog Little Touch Lulu the Letter-Spinning Spider
• Fisher-Price Baby Gymnastics Activity Tunnel
Ages 1-2
• Chicco Bilingual Smart Driver
• Radio Flyer Classic Walker Wagon
Ages 3-5
• Disney Princess Cinderella Coach Dress-up Trunk
• Fisher-Price: Star Station Entertainment System
Ages 6-8
• V.Smile Pocket Learning System
• Amazing Amanda
Ages 9-12
• I-Cybie Robotic Dog
• 104-Piece Wood Case Art Set
Ages 13-16
• Power Pogo X
• Madden NFL 06
To see the full holiday hot list, or for more information, visit www.etoys.com.
© 2005 HealthNewsDigest.com