• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, September 6, 2007

Offline Influence on Online Search Yields 39% Conversion

According to a the "iProspect Offline Channel Influence on Online Search Behavior Study," conducted by JupiterResearch, 67% of the online search population is driven to search by offline channels. It also revealed that 39% of online searchers who are influenced by offline channels ultimately make a purchase. This 39% conversion rate suggests a synergistic relationship exists between search and offline channels, concludes the study.

iProspect president, Robert Murray, said "Search is no longer an add-on consideration for marketers... it's clear that its efficacy is multiplied when combined with offline channels... The bottom line is that integration is no longer optional... but at the end of the day, it's pretty much meaningless if a purchase isn't made."

Beginning with the hypothesis that the use of search engines to perform searches is growing more important to the majority of online users, the study set out to identify the importance and frequency of searches, then the offline influences driving the prospect to the Internet, concluding with behavior of searchers in converting to a purchase.

The vast majority of the younger age group reported a growth of importance in performing queries on search engines, and a significant percentage of online users 25 and older reported the same. Almost three quarters of online users who have been using the Internet for less than a year report that search has grown in importance to them, while more than half of online users with more than one year of Internet experience concur with their less experienced counterparts.

Offline channels clearly influence a significant percentage of online search users, says the report, with TV and word of mouth influencing over one-third of online search users to perform a search. More surprising, to the analysts, is that a full 67% of online search users are driven to search as a result of some offline channel.

Daily online search users are more influenced to perform searches as a result of exposure to offline channels than less frequent searchers. The findings uncovered are illustrated below.

Of those online search users who are influenced to perform a search as a result of exposure to some offline channel, the data clearly indicates that branded keywords far outweigh messaging from the non-branded keywords (company advertising, slogan, or "other") 68% to 18%, respectively.

From a marketer's perspective, iProspect believes that the most significant finding of this study is that over one-third of online search users who perform a search as a result of exposure to some offline channel recall making a purchase (via any channel) as a result of that search.

The report summarization concludes that since across all ranges of age, income, and online tenure, survey respondents reported that conducting search engine queries has become more important to their use of the Internet over the last year, the implications are obvious. If users report that the activity of searching is growing more important to them, then businesses need to assign growing importance to ensuring that their website is found by searchers.

To read the complete "iProspect Offline Channel Influence on Online Search Behavior Study" and access the PDF file with charts, please visit iProspect here.