Since 2000, researchers from the University of Southern California have tracked the percentage of Internet users who have made online purchases, as well as their online shopping fears. The percentage of online shoppers has grown steadily each year of the study; from 2003 to 2007, even after the dotcom bubble burst, the percentage grew from 43% to 67%.

USC attributes this steady increase to the dissipation of the earlier online shopping fears. Fears of unknown merchants, lack of human interaction in the buying process and website security have greatly diminished over the years, as online merchants have addressed these consumer concerns. 

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