Searching For Items Online Leads To Offline Sales

Below is an intersting study that comScore did that further helps prove the effectivness of W2S marketing. In this case, the vehicle being used in online search but I argue that much like other simular studies, the vehicle used could be interchanged with simular results. Overall, it's great to see a heavy weight like Google chimming in here to help further prove the point.

Study suggests search marketing’s biggest ROI could be in offline sales

A comScore Networks study sponsored by Google further quantifies what retailers already know: online search is a powerful driver of offline buying behavior. Of 83 million Americans tracked by comScore who searched at one of the 24 top search engines in November and December, 25% purchased an item relating to their query, and of that number, the majority – 63% -- completed that purchase offline.

“Importantly, it’s clear from this study that the influence of search on offline buying behavior can often be responsible for the major portion of the overall financial return from investments in search marketing,” says James Lamberti, vice president of comScore Search Marketing Solutions.

Of 11 product categories studied, offline buyer conversion was highest in the video game and consoles category, where 17% of searches converted and of that number 93% did so offline; and in the toys and hobbies category, where 42% of searchers converted and of that number 88% did so offline. In fact, across these categories and the categories of consumer electronics, and music/movies/videos, more than 80% of all conversions occurred offline.

Other findings measured the latent effect of search on holiday purchasing. 56% of consumers` online holiday buying actually occurred in subsequent Internet sessions, not the session in which a search originated. Conversions off latent search, in which the purchase lagged the initial search, at 56% of consumers tracked were more common that direct conversions off search. Among product categories, conversions off latent search were greatest in the music, movies and video category, where they represented 77% of the buyers who’d searched; and the computer/ peripherals/PDA and the home and garden categories, where they represented 69% of buyers in each category. The study also determined that as a source of buying information, holiday buyers ranked online search second in importance only to physical stores.

The data on offline buying behavior of those that had searched online came from an e-mail survey of a selected statistically significant sample of online consumers in comScore’s panel.

ComScore executive John Miniati, is speaking at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition June 5-7 in Chicago on Who`s Online and How Do You Reach Them?

Is A Web Site's Content Restricted and Proprietary To The Site Operator?

Within the ever advancing intellectual property (IP) field of the law, a new wrinkle has unfolded today. A court order recently issued against Cairo creates a precedent that a website's operator may have proprietary rights to the content posted on their site. This new directive could have long lasting and impactful repercussions across the web. For example, a search engine such as Google or Yahoo! may be restricted from accessing some sites if the web site operator does not want their unique and proprietary information indexed. Another aspect of this decision is that the terms and conditions that are posted on a website do in fact constitute an agreement with all visitors that choose to use the site. Again, this will have ongoing impacts to many different types of web companies, especially those that spider or index site content, and in turn profit from the re-distribution of that information / content.

For more information on the exact court order, goto: http://www.shoplocalllc.com/press24.html

Google Begins Running Remnant Space ROP Ads

Is the Sun-Times doing business with the Devil? It certainly seems so by the looks at a new trial program underway where Google is buying unused space in the Chicago paper and running relevant ads. Google (and for that matter, most of large online media players) have been really trying hard recently to further their inroads into all things local. This is a play that I don't think most people expected, but should be noticed. I for one am interested to see how this test turns out.

To read the full atricle, goto: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=19053

Young People Turn To Online As Source Of Shopping Info

According to the Newspaper Association of America and a new February 2006 research report that the Dieringer Group published, younger consumers turn to online newspaper sites for local shopping information and this group of people sites this behavior as their thrid most popular destination (only behind weather and local entertainment) This is great news for the online comparative shopping and search players, specifcally those that have true local content.

To see the full article, goto: http://www.naa.org/feds/onlineresource/web2store.cfm