Evans tells GSR that the process of shopping for andbuying appliances lends itself to the Internet."Appliances are going to be shipped anyway, so it'snot as if by buying online prevents you from gettingthe product immediately," she points out.

Moreover, Evans says that Home Depot's decisionillustrates the synergies between the research andpurchasing. "The second-largest retailer in the U.S.isn't going to do it if there's no money there," shecontends. "The whole process is being interwoven usingthe Internet."

Indeed, using the Internet to compare brands and toobtain product specifications for appliances if ofteneasier than conducting research in stores.Additionally, the search capabilities availablethrough Internet shopping often prove to be moreconvenient than more traditional methods, Evans says.

Home Depot's appliance shopping site, for example,features search tools so customers can quickly andeasily refine their search for appliances with theproduct attributes and features that are mostimportant to them. Detailed product information and anew product comparison tool help customers narrowtheir choices and identify key product differences. Evans concludes that as more and more consumers turnedto the Internet to conduct their research, more ofthem will become comfortable choosing a new stoveonline and purchasing while sitting at their computersrather than going into the store.