• by January 17, 2001

Traditional offline advertising methods are not driving traffic to websites, finds a survey commissioned by Rare Medium. Of the one thousand online consumers surveyed, only 8% of respondents had visited a new site because of offline advertising.

The survey also pointed to the disturbing conclusion that British consumers are not getting what they need from the Internet, finding it an unattractive medium for purchasing.

The biggest annoyance for the consumers surveyed was being thrown offline mid- transaction, followed closely by not being able to find what they required. The other most popular bugbear was having to register before being able to access information.

"It's like asking a customer who is about to enter a shop for all their personal details before letting them walk in the door, then throwing them out of the shop before they can buy anything, with the customer only realizing later that the shop didn't stock what they were looking for anyway," says Ian Morrison, Director of Business Development at Rare Medium. "Businesses must recognize that online customers have the same needs and desires as they do when shopping on the high street."

Not surprisingly, word of mouth is a strong driver of traffic, with nearly 30% of respondents claiming that they had asked other people for guidance to find new sites. Almost half of the respondents had also avoided a website due to the bad experience of a friend or colleague.

"This research supports what we see in our User Research Center, which is that understanding the user's needs is the key to developing a successful site. That may sound obvious, but remarkably few sites are created with that in mind," says Morrison.

"It also shows that online consumers are curious to find out more about their online environment. They will follow links from one trusted source to another, whether it be a website they've used before or a friend or colleague's recommendation. Companies building an online presence need to focus on ensuring that the user experience matches user expectations. Online consumers can also be fickle, with a bad experience ensuring that they are unlikely to return to a website."

Surprisingly, established bricks and mortar companies with a major offline presence did not automatically appeal to those surveyed. The report found that only 7% of respondents had visited a site because of its strong offline presence.