Online Search Influences Over 50% Of Online Sales. Does This Hold Up For Off Line Sales?

So here is the big question...What percent of online searches influence off line sales? All of the below research talks about online search's direct influence over eCommerce sales. I wonder if this research holds true for influencing off line sales? I would imagine that the influence of search is actually greater. Yes? No? Leave a comment and tell me what you think?

Search Before the Purchase Understanding Buyer Search Activity as it Builds to Online Purchase
Feb 2005

To better understand how consumers use search engines in the online purchase process, DoubleClick commissioned comScore Networks to use its panel of 1.5 million U.S. Internet consumers to provide further insights. comScore identified people who made purchases on one of 30 sites in four categories: Apparel, Computer Hardware, Sports/Fitness and Travel. comScore then captured all relevant search activity of those buyers within the four specific categories during the 12 weeks prior to purchase, separating their search terms related to their ultimate purchase topic from other types of searches they may have conducted.

Most Buyers Complete Their Relevant Search Activity Well in Advance of Purchase

Most searchers observed in the comScore panel completed their search activity well in advance of purchase, as shown in the below graph. This is a striking observation, as many marketers consider that a click from a search engine that does not convert into a sale in the same session is worthless, while the research indicates that buyers do considerable advance planning and research before completing their transactions.



Looking at searchers, the story is even clearer: the majority of buyers never searched for a retailer brand at all in the 12 weeks preceding their purchase. In the Computer Hardware vertical, 92% of all searchers used some kind of generic search but only 27% performed a brand-only search, as shown in Figure 3 (note that the numbers add up to more than 100% because some searchers may have employed more than one search style).



Summary Level Findings From This Study

• Search plays a role in roughly half of all online purchases.
• The majority of pre-purchase search activity (searches and clicks) involves generic terms, not the merchants’ brands.
• Branded terms peak in search activity closer to the purchase.
• Most buyers complete their relevant search activity well in advance of the purchase.
• Generic terms represent an opportunity to attract and engage in-market searchers throughout the buying cycle.
• Search result analyses (sales and ROI) that consider only a short period prior to purchase do not account for the value of generic search activity earlier in the buying cycle.