The Internet someday might provide 21st century rural Americans the shopping choices and convenience that mail order catalogs offered their ancestors a generation earlier.

So far, however, rural residents buy mostly at retail stores and are happiest with bricks-and-mortar shopping, University of Nebraska research shows.

Fewer than 20 percent of the 2,218 rural respondents from 11 states, including Nebraska, use the Internet or television shopping channels to buy food or clothing, said Rita Kean. A College of Human Resources and Family Sciences merchandise management researcher, Kean is studying rural residents' shopping habits.

Rural residents place mail orders, a long-time staple of rural households, once or twice annually, the survey found. They shop mostly at retail stores and travel an average of about 17 miles to the nearest shopping area. Nebraska's responses were similar to the larger sample.

Kean's research is part of an 11-state examination of technology's impact on rural consumer access to food and fiber products. Researchers mailed surveys to more than 8,000 rural residents in Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. To detect changes over time, they'll survey the same people again in winter 2002-2003. Kean said findings may help decision makers develop policies regarding electronic commerce and help rural businesses and communities adjust to potential changes in consumers' buying habits.

Survey respondents said they were more satisfied with traditional retail shopping than other forms. They were somewhat satisfied with catalog shopping but were lukewarm toward both Internet and television shopping. Dissatisfaction with television shopping surprised Kean because "that's practically a cult in itself."

What's behind this reluctance to use other shopping methods? Credit card security and Internet access are key, Kean said.

More than half of those surveyed had Internet access, although more than 52 percent said they didn't have a personal computer at home. More than 60 percent reported using the Internet once within the last year, but nearly half said they don't use the Internet.

"I think in another two or three years, we may see a difference as people have more access to the Internet," the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources researcher said.

Two-thirds of respondents have a bank credit card, but many were afraid to purchase online, Kean said.

Respondents also were reluctant to use their credit cards for mail and television orders. They felt most secure using their plastic with local retailers. Internet, television and mail orders may increase when companies address rural consumers' security concerns, Kean said.

Respondents in larger rural communities tended to feel more comfortable buying over the Internet. They cited availability of brand-name products, quick delivery and feeling safer using the Internet than shopping at malls.

For personal items such as clothing, some rural businesses may benefit from continuing to offer added value to their customers without the Internet, said Diane Vigna, IANR clothing and textiles scientist working on the study. For example, customers at a boutique catering to older women probably will continue to prefer trying on clothes in person.

More than half the participants lived in communities of under 10,000 population. Sixty percent were women.

Researchers hope to better understand how consumers adapt to electronic shopping. Future research will compare e-commerce shopping trends in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas.

– Molly Klocksin