CHICAGO, IL -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 10/19/2006 -- A new survey conducted by Home Electronics Journal (HEJ), one of the popular e-mail newsletters published by Thomas, Townsend & Kent (TTK), revealed that 93.3% of affluent Americans research their upcoming consumer electronics purchases on the Internet, before making the trip to a nearby Best Buy or Circuit City to actually buy the items.

In this new national study, conducted with market intelligence firm BIGresearch, the affluent segment among the 2,108 respondents (those from households with income of $100,000 or more), reported that their online research was conducted using a combination of search engines (62.8%), product websites (62.2%), and e-mail newsletters (27.5%). For the purchase of electronics products, an overwhelming majority stated that their preferred retailer is Best Buy (72.8%), followed by Circuit City (45.1%), and Wal-Mart (26.3%).

When this group was presented with different product categories and asked whether they were likely to make purchases of those products online or at retail, the categories that they reported they were likely or somewhat likely to buy at retail included portable gaming devices (67.5%), PDA cell phones (65.4%), home theater systems (67.2%), and televisions (58.8%). Products they were likely to purchase online were primarily computer equipment -- laptops (59.2%), desktops (61.1%), and printers (57.2%).

"Advertisers who truly understand the varying degrees of the consumer's comfort level with purchases made online are at a great advantage," said Roy Weiss, publisher of Home Electronics Journal. "Knowledge of which products are more likely to be bought via retail websites versus those that would be more successfully promoted with a drive to retail will enhance online marketing efforts and generate more profitable results," added Weiss.

Individuals interested in receiving a complimentary report on the findings of this recent study can request the information at the TTK website, www.thomastownsendandkent.com.

About Thomas, Townsend & Kent: Chicago-based Thomas, Townsend & Kent (www.thomastownsendandkent.com) is an online publisher of popular e-mail newsletters that target affluent Americans and report on their specific interests -- travel, art, fine dining, and consumer electronics. TTK publications include Art Travel Guide, Home Electronics Journal, Luxury Cruise News, Productivity Journal, and Your Travel Insider, which offer a combined average circulation of more than five million each month. As part of the subscription process, readers of TTK publications provide demographic and purchase-intent data, which is continually updated through regular surveys. This information allows marketers to connect with qualified prospects by advertising with the TTK Newsletter Network and sponsoring targeted solo e-mails to subscribers.