Online Research is now just part of What we Do

Marketers who ignore the role of online research in the various stages of consumer purchase behaviour do so at their own peril, with new Australian research showing 80% of consumers use online research to inform their purchase decision. The research, which covers 40 categories and was commissioned by Outrider, a GroupM search marketing company, highlights the necessity for online and offline marketing campaigns to be aligned in order to achieve maximum benefit for their investment.

"Without an integrated approach to online and offline media, advertisers can significantly reduce the effectiveness of their marketing. It's vital to understand that consumers are taking their online experience and incorporating it into offline purchase behaviour," said Head of GroupM Search Marcelo Silva.

The study, conducted by Research International, showed that a third of consumers start their online research at a search engine. In addition, the majority of those using a search engine first conducted a generic (or unbranded) keyword search.

"Without a search marketing campaign that caters for this - and for the keyword terms used across offline marketing for a product or service - marketers will be behind the eight ball," said Silva.

Of those looking to buy a laptop, for example, 64% used a search engine and 40% of them began with a generic keyword search - only 23% start with a branded keyword search. Additionally, search engines are used throughout the consumer research process: 27% conduct keyword searches midway through, and 9% search just prior to purchase.

"It is all about how consumers behave and marketers must embrace the new purchase decision cycle from the earliest stages of their media planning. What is fascinating is the lack of barriers between online and offline now - one does not exist in a vacuum from the other and consumers are more and more adept at operating in both worlds," said Research International Strategy Director Jonathan Sinton.

Associated Link: Outrider

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