The quarterly Online Shopper Intelligence Study recently released by Compete, a media company, indicates that approximately 83 percent of consumers shop on the internet at least once a week.

The researchers surveyed 3,119 online purchasers between the months of May and July 2010. They also tracked strategies retailers use to entice online shoppers, the most popular of which was offering free or fast shipping and free returns.

The study also shows that consumers are using Facebook and Twitter more often to gain access to retailers. Approximately 31 percent of shoppers reported that they followed various stores on the social networking websites.

"As retailers look toward the rapidly approaching holidays, they should prepare for an uptick in spending - over half of all respondents said that compared to last year, they will be spending as much or more this holiday season," said Debra Arbesman, a retail associate with Compete. "Retailers should be mindful of these promising findings to create strategies that will better engage shoppers."

Those who do use the internet to shop should be sure to guard their personal information when browsing the web. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are approximately 9 million cases of identity theft each year.