A new study by ComScore about the buying habits of computer and consumer electronics shoppers shows the importance of search to the customer journey. The shopper behaviour report was sponsored by Searchandise Commerce and iProspect. More than 1,000 shoppers were surveyed in April of 2010.
Some of the results are not so surprising – two-thirds of shoppers begin the shopping process online; one in five starting at a retail site (the most frequent starting point among all retail shoppers); one in 10 starting at a physical store. Close behind retail websites as a starting point for shoppers are search engines, which are themselves a significant driver of shoppers to retail websites (as are manufacturer websites). Surprisingly, only a negligible percentage starts its search by consulting a blog (2%) or a social networking site (1%)
According for Forrester Research, no activity occupies more of shoppers’ time online than search. Search engines play a pivotal role in the shopping process, providing a laundry list of options; and retail websites have emerged as a leading source for a bevy of product details.
There are some interesting findings about the shopper journey. Of the shoppers who start the shopping process with a search engine (18%), 37% move on to a retail site as their next step. Nearly half of the consumer electronic shoppers end up purchasing on the retail site, as do one-third of the computer buyers.
The study confirms that search engines and retail websites are the first or second stop in over half of the shopping processes evaluated. Search engines are the most frequent driver of traffic to retail websites, as well as to manufacturer websites and are the most frequently used tool for finding customer reviews, expert reviews/ratings, and third party product recommendations.
The writers recommend that retail marketers work to ensure that their websites appear in the organic and paid search results for all the specific brands, makes, models, features and functionalities associated with the products they sell.
Landing pages are also important. They should be designed to meet the degree of specificity about brands, makes, models, features and functionalities used in the shopper’s search.
The report also restated that the first rule of search marketing is still true “content is king.”
Including multiple and enlargeable product images or videos, to highly detailed and clear product descriptions, to thorough and easy-to-use product comparison tools, to user reviews and expert product ratings – any enhancements to website content will help the website rank highly in the search results, help answer the “tough questions” that shoppers seek to have answered prior to making a purchase, maximize the time spent on their website, and maximize the likelihood that the online shopper will buy – be it online or offline.