Survey finds online shoppers may be moving toward "spending cautiously"

While the economy has not emerged from the recession, some consumers may be ready to start spending their money again--albeit more cautiously than before--a new study of online shoppers found.

Half of the online consumers asked recently by PriceGrabber.com said they were making a concerted effort to cut back in the past few months, but that number is down from the 59 percent who said the same thing in October of last year.

"The recent March 2009 survey reflected that online consumers’ efforts to cut back have reached a plateau, possibly because they have implemented savings strategies and reassessed their budgets," PriceGrabber.com wrote in its Consumer Behavior Report (PDF).

The current recession will likely have long running effects on consumer habits, according to the survey of 4,239 online consumers which was conducted from Feb. 10, 2009, to March 9.

Seventy-one percent said they would continue to "use the saving strategies you are implementing to weather the economy" once the recession recedes. Only five percent said they would go back to previous spending habits.

When shoppers decide they are ready to buy, this study found they are turning to the Internet more often.

Nine out of 10 of those surveyed said comparing prices online reassured them about getting the best deal.

The same proportion--91 percent--said that they shopped online in this tough economy because "researching products online makes me feel more confident about my purchases."

If you're one of those people who wants to do online research about the products you're planning on buying, ratings and reviews from Consumer Reports are a pretty good place to start.