• by December 13, 2004

When consumers purchase electronics after conducting online research, an overwhelming majority buy from brick-and-mortar stores, according to a new study released Monday by comScore Networks.

For the study, sponsored by Yahoo!'s paid listings provider Overture, comScore tracked U.S. consumers from a panel of 2 million Internet users worldwide. The report revealed that 25 percent of people who used a search engine such as Google to research a camera, computer, DVD player, or other home electronics product went on to make a purchase within 12 weeks of conducting the search.

Of the searchers who made a purchase, more than nine out of 10--92 percent--bought from an offline retailer. Of the purchases made online, only 15 percent occurred during the same session as the original search, while 50 percent occurred within 30 days, 17 percent within two months, and 18 percent within three months.

Such results confirm what many search marketers long suspected--that search engines can drive sales in ways that aren't captured by click-through or conversion rates, said Joshua Stylman, managing partner of search engine marketing form Reprise Media.

The study also found that consumers tended to search using broad terms, such as "plasma television," rather than by specific brand and model number. Even after doing an initial search, many consumers did not end up "funneling" their queries by typing in specific brand names. And, of those who went on to make a purchase, more than six out of 10--61.2 percent--searched on general terms, rather than detailed ones, according to the study.