Latest News

Save E-mail Print Most Popular RSS Reprints

Survey: Traditional ads spark online product searches

March 13, 2007

Similar Stories | Topics

Washington, D.C.—Online searches may be growing increasingly popular, but retailers who rely strictly on Internet advertising do so at their own peril, a new consumer survey finds.

In fact, consumers are taking cues from traditional advertising outlets, including newspapers and magazines, to determine when and where to search for merchandise online, according to the survey, conducted by Big Research for the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA).

The survey finds that 47.2 percent of consumers said they were most motivated to begin an online search after viewing advertisements in magazines, 42.8 percent were motivated by TV ads and 42.3 percent were inspired to start searching after reading newspaper ads. In addition, another 43.7 percent conducted online searches after reading an article.

Women were more likely than men to be motivated by coupons (41.8 percent versus 29 percent) and in-store promotions (29 percent versus 24.5 percent), while men were more driven to start an online search based on a face-to-face conversation (36.1 percent versus 29.5 percent).

"When it comes to advertising, retailers always need to be careful not to put all of their eggs in one basket," RAMA Executive Director Mike Gatti said in a press release issued on Monday. "While search-engine marketing continues to be a popular strategy, retailers should not lose sight of traditional advertising channels to promote products and services."

After searching the Web for information, 68.9 percent of consumers said they are most likely to communicate with others about their search through face-to-face discussion, with 53.1 percent opting to do so though e-mail. Another 50.9 percent used the telephone, and 30 percent used a cell phone to follow up on their searches. Young adults ages 18-24 are also taking advantage of an influx of new media, communicating about service, products and brands by instant messaging (37.5 percent), text messaging (23.7 percent) and through online communities such as Myspace.com and Facebook.com (20.6 percent).

"Retailers must have holistic knowledge of how customers are interacting across media to maximize return on investment," Big Research Vice President Joe Pilotta said in the release. "To buy something based on clicks without understanding the potential causes shortchanges the effective allocation of advertising dollars."

Shoppers continue to use the Web as a resource before deciding on what to buy and where to buy it, the survey finds. In fact, 92.5 percent of adults surveyed said they regularly or occasionally research products online before buying them in a retail store. Products that are most often researched online before being purchased in a store include electronics (50.8 percent), apparel (31.9 percent), and appliances (27 percent). Men were twice as likely as women to shop for automobiles online (20.2 percent versus 10.2 percent), though women research home décor products more often than men (18.9 percent versus 11.6 percent).

Big Research conducted the survey, which polled 15,287 consumers, for RAMA in December 2006.
Save E-mail Print Most Popular RSS Reprints
Post a Comment
* Required field
* Author:
* Comment:
 

More Brand Profiles

Movado Lincoln Center Watch
Movado watch fetes 50 years of pirouettes, solos

A night out at the New York City Ballet or Jazz at Lincoln Center is bound to be memorable, but Movado hopes to help make it more so with a new version of its iconic "Museum" watch.  Read More

Raymond Weil forms U.S. distribution company
More News

More Like This

AWA announces officer elections
September 30, 2008 | National Jeweler Network
Report: Online sales to increase 18 percent this year
May 14, 2007 | National Jeweler Network
Congress to address organized retail crime
October 23, 2007 | National Jeweler Network
New store reaches for edge
March 31, 2007 | National Jeweler Network
Study: Average private employer pays employees $25.52 per hour
December 13, 2006 | National Jeweler Network
TOPICS
Advertising | Business | Marketing | Media

Design Portfolio

advertisement

Video

Small multi video player located on right rail of NJN site

advertisement

Sponsored by:

Retailer Toolbar

America's Best Jewelers
Join the ONLY Social Network for Jewelry Retailers. Get access to expert content, peer best practices, and more.
Start networking today.
Newsletters
Newsletters
Topic-specific newsletters that deliver the latest news on jewelry, diamonds, wholesale operations and high-volume buying directly to your in-box.
Reader Connect
ReaderConnect
Supplier information presented with every article, bringing you related, actionable content on every topic.
Jewelry Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages
A comprehensive listing of associations, organizations, suppliers and services for the jewelry industry.
Classifieds
Classifieds
A comprehensive listing of job postings, product offerings and other materials for sale for the jewelry industry.
NJN Customer Connect
CustomerConnect
The most sophisticated suite of marketing services available for jewelry retailers, from Internet tools to data marketing.

advertisement