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May 15, 2003
Study: 40% Change Brands After Researching Online
A recent study by The Dieringer Research Group reported that 40 percent of Internet users in the US changed their opinions of brands due to information they gathered online. That means it's more important than ever to expand the presence of your business on the Web if you wish to influence discerning buyers. It's also just as important to build an effective Web site that educates and sells consumers on the products and services you offer.
eMarketer estimated that there were 152.8 million Internet users in the US in 2002. Multiplying 40 percent by 152.8 tells us that 61 million people in the US alone changed their minds regarding the products they wanted to purchase after conducting online research. That speaks volumes about the importance of every business having a great Web site that can be easily found by consumers doing product research.
So what is by far the most common way to research products and services online? Search engines of course! One could cite countless studies to confirm this fact, but your own hands on experience is probably just as reliable. Simply ask yourself: What do you do when you're interested in learning more about a product or service? Sometimes you'll go directly to a vendor's Web site if you know the URL, but more often you'll load your favorite search engine and do a quick keyword search to find reviews, pricing, competitors, and so forth.
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