• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 7, 2005

Searching For Mr. Goodbuy

According to a U.S. population survey, "How America Searches," by icrossing and Harris Interactive, 88% of online adults who purchase online conduct research at least sometimes prior to completing their purchase. Only 3% of online adults who purchase items online never do any type of online research before making online purchase, and only 9% of respondents say they rarely research products and services online. 65% said they often/always rely on the internet to research unfamiliar products, while 60% always or often research to find the best price

An overwhelming 42% of participants, who indicated that they use at least one online tool or service to research products, cited search engines first, well ahead of the 17% who turn to retailer/seller web sites first.

When search engines are the first tool to which people turn to find more information, 54% of respondents use search engines to find a web site from which to buy or 53% search to investigate where to purchase. 43%, indicated they use search engines to find an offline retailer from which to buy.

82% of men ages 18-34 and 80% of men age 55 years and older, of the 74% who use search engines to research products/services look to learn more about their intended products.

60% of adults who use search engines to research products/services before buying online said they click on sponsored links at least sometimes, and 16% indicated they do so always/often. Just 9% indicated they never click on sponsored links when looking for a specific product or service.

Older shoppers are more likely to click on sponsored links

• 48% of adults aged 18-34 click on sponsored links at least sometimes
• 61% among those aged 35-44,
• 64% in the 45-54 age group
• 75% among adults over the age of 55.

Two-thirds of online-shopping adults (66%) indicated they spent up to $500 online in the past year. 40% of men said they spent more than $500 versus just 20% of women. Only 15% of online adults who have done any online shopping have spent more than $1,000 a year. Those that do skew disproportionately younger. Only 11% of 18-34 year olds spent $1,001-$5,000 in the past year, but accounted for 31% of those in this spending bracket.

79% of respondents indicated that they tend to do their online purchasing from home, versus just 8% who online shop at work. 9% said they buy online from home and work with equal frequency.

72% of online adults who identified travel as a product they buy online make travel arrangements online more often than offline. For items that have a greater tactile component, such as clothing, sporting goods, jewelry and groceries, there has been less offline displacement.

The report also noted that, although blogs have had a dramatic effect on arenas such as current events and politics they remain a negligible source of information for adults conducting product research before making a purchase.

You can obtain more information from the PDF file.