College students: Big-time Net users

College students are the most wired group in the United States, with 93 percent regularly using the Internet, according to a study released Monday by Rochester, N.Y.-based Harris Interactive. The study also found that 92 percent of college students aged 18 to 30 own a computer, and 13 percent plan to buy one in the next year.

But e-commerce companies rarely target students because relatively few members of so-called Generation Y have credit cards. "It is a consumer group that marketers should recognize as offering substantial opportunity," said John Geraci, vice president of youth research at Harris. "Connecting with consumers during the college years can pay great dividends, both now and well into the future."