Study Confirms That Search Engine is #1 Tool For Research Prior To Purchasing
New York - "How America Searches: Online Shopping," a new study launched from icrossing, the largest independent search engine marketing agency, and conducted by Harris Interactive, reveals that the majority of online adult shoppers who research products online before making a purchase decision rely on search engines more than any other tool to conduct their research. The study also revealed that most online adults who buy online conduct research at least sometimes prior to completing a purchase.
"How America Searches: Online Shopping" is the second in a series of icrossing studies that take a detailed look into how Americans utilize search as part of their online behavior, and more specifically, how online consumers use search to investigate and compare products and services before purchasing online.
"The study clearly shows that the internet is becoming the preferred purchasing channel for a variety of products and services among many of those who have tried purchasing them online," said icrossing CEO Jeffrey Herzog. "The smart marketers are adapting to the changing retail landscape and adopting proven search engine marketing strategies to connect with more qualified online shoppers and close more business."
Some highlights from "How America Searches: Online Shopping" include:
- Most adults who purchase items online (88%) conduct some sort of online research at least sometimes prior to completing their purchase.
- Search engines are the most popular online research tool, used by 67% of U.S. adults who research online before making a purchase decision. 40% of those conducting online research go to search engines first. Nearly equal percentages of respondents who use search engines to research products online use them to find a website from which to buy or to investigate where to purchase their desired product (54% and 53%, respectively).
- Retailer/Seller websites are the second most popular online product research tool (used by 57% of online adults who research online prior to making a purchase decision).
- Older online shoppers, those ages 55 and up, who use search engines to conduct research are more likely to click on sponsored links (75%) than their younger counterparts -- those between the ages of 18 and 54 (56%).
- 72% of online adults who identified Airline tickets/ Hotels/ Travel as a product they buy online said they make travel arrangements online more often than they do offline. 47% of online Tickets/Entertainment buyers said the same about tickets and entertainment and 45% of online Books/DVDs/Music buyers said the same about those items.
Survey Methodology
Harris Interactive(R) fielded the study on behalf of icrossing, inc. from
August 26-30, 2005, via its QuickQuery(SM) online omnibus, interviewing a
nationwide sample of 2,322 U.S. adults aged 18 and over. Data were weighted to
reflect the total U.S. online adult population on the basis of region, age
within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity, and amount of time
spent online per week. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one
can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling
error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire
online population of U.S. adults had been polled with complete accuracy.
Sampling error for the various sub-sample results is higher and varies. This
online sample is not a probability sample.
SOURCE: icrossing