Nearly half, or 47%, of consumers are buying more online this year, up from 38% last year and 33% in 2010, according to the new Deloitte Retail & Consumer Spending Survey. Deloitte based its findings on an online survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers conducted between March 5 and March 7.
 
The survey suggests that relatively affluent consumers will account for significant e-commerce gains this year. 63% of respondents who said they earn at least $100,000 annually say they are buying more items online this year, compared with 44% of respondents earning less than $100,000. Those income groups have differing views of the economy’s health. Of respondents earning at least $100,000, a third of them, 33%, say the economy remains in recession, compared with 44% for lower-income consumers.
 
For all consumers, shopping the web is becoming an increasingly popular way to find low prices, according to the survey. 58% of all respondents said they often find lower prices online than in bricks-and-mortar stores, compared with 53% who said the same last year.