The Online Publishers Association (OPA) says people spent less time and less money on ecommerce sites in October 2008.

According to the OPA’s Internet Activity Index (IAI), compiled by Nielsen Online, time spent on ecommerce sites dropped from 16.1 percent in January 2008 to 12.8 percent in October.

While people lowered their buying on the Internet in October, they spent more time on content sites. While this was helped by interest in the U.S. election and economic events, the OPA also attributes this to publishers creating more web-based media content.

Overall, the IAI found the following percentage changes in Internet use between January and October 2008:

• Content: 6.1 percent
• Communications: -2.4 percent
• Commerce: -20.4 percent
• Community: 16.0 percent
• Search: 4.0 percent

Source: Enid Burns, “Time Spent Up, Commerce Down Online,” The ClickZ Network, December 4, 2008

Not everyone has jumped onto the web 2.0 or social media bandwagon. Many people are happily using the Internet without blogging, tweeting, posting on forums, participating in social networks, and so on.

Which means that if non-web 2.0 users are YOUR target market, you probably need to focus on non-web 2.0 means of reaching them.

Here are a few tips:

1. Consider using traditional media. There’s a thought. What about a direct mail campaign or a telephone call? Even a personal visit (if you’re selling large ticket items that justify it). Not to mention traditional forms of advertising - television, radio, newspapers and magazines.
2. Use ‘traditional’ forms of Internet communications, such as email, display advertising and paid search advertising. Have an email newsletter as well as a blog. That’s what we do here at Kikabink. You can read the blog or get the email newsletter delivered to your inbox each day.
3. Softly sell your prospects on using Web 2.0 or social media content or tools. This isn’t so much a matter of emphasizing that any given content or tool is “web 2.0″ as indicating the value of the content itself. Your target market may not be interested in reading your “blog posts” but MAY be interested in reading your ARTICLES.