There used to be a time when product catalogues and brochures were very popular. It was an easier way of finding out information about products. Not as many people relish going directly to a store to find out information during the early stages of product research when there are much easier options available. Even though catalogues, direct mail and the telephone all contributed to information gathering nothing changed the landscape of product research like the introduction of the Internet.
It is a commonly accepted opinion that the Internet is probably the best place to find anything and everything. It is not surprising that even typing in a rather unusual keyword into the search bar of a search engine can get you an astonishing amount of results. This just goes to show the seemingly endless amount of information on the Internet. So when so much information is available on the Internet and it is so easily accessible, it naturally becomes the preference of shoppers during their information gathering process.
Consider how often you use the search features on the Internet. One might safely say that online search engines are probably one of the most used features. It is not just the amount of information on the Internet that is appealing to contemporary shoppers; it is also the fact that it is possible to narrow down searches to specifics which allows shoppers to find exactly what they are looking for. There is also the option of choosing your search engines. While a large number of researchers might prefer to use general search engines, there are those who use shopping-specific search engines. Comparison sites are especially popular with shoppers who research online.
It goes without saying that there is information about almost everything on the Internet. When it comes to product research, however, some products are more popularly searched than others. Electronic good, clothing apparels, appliances and home products are things that are widely researched on the Internet. There is no saying if after the product research stage these customers would decide to complete the purchase online or revert to traditional methods of buying products.
There are a number of factors that would determine if shoppers actually intend to buy online or their intension goes only as far as product information. It is possible that buyers might not actually be aware that it is possible to buy the product they are looking for online. They might find out this information while they are researching online. This goes to show that retail site owners should not ignore those customers who might not be typical online shoppers. It is possible to convert researchers into consumers at any point of their research process.
It is common for shoppers conducting online research to search for a particular brand rather than a generic product. In fact, some research holds that it is more common for shoppers to research specific brands. At the same time, online research does not necessarily have to be the first stage of research. Many consumers might be led to a website via a magazine, a catalogue, a television advertising or another source of information.
Because online shopping is a fairly new trend, most researchers still prefer to purchase offline. There are many apprehensions shoppers have when buying online, so using the Internet only for product research might suit their sensibilities better. This is a phenomenon that marketers need to understand and put into perspective so that they can still get the most out of it.
From an online marketing standpoint, it is not necessarily a negative thing that many shoppers research online only to make the actual purchase offline. The point to focus on is that your site is still a point of contact to potential customers. This means that efforts should still be put in to try to convert these offline shoppers to online shoppers. These online marketing efforts still go towards the campaign plans even if these might not materialize as completed transactions.
Marketers also need to keep in mind that if shoppers are online for the sake of research then it is likely that they will also visit their competitor’s site. These are little points where complete product information would help in retaining the researcher even if he or she is not converted to a shopper online at that point in time.
The bottom line is that online research for products is extremely popular these days. Knowing this, marketers cannot afford to be slack about information that is available about their product online. It is high time to accept the influence that the Internet has on purchase decisions in today’s world, whether online or offline.
About the Author:Jeev Trika is a principal at azentec, Inc.,. an e-business consulting firm, based out of South Bend, Indiana. He possesses extensive experience in sales methodologies and holds over 9 years of experience in assisting organizations with their online experiences. His professional services have been garnered by organizations like IBM Global Services, Siebel, Jordan Industries, Cayman Islands Government, and more. Jeev holds a Bachelors in Computer Science and an MBA, both from Purdue University.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Como ganas dinero con Melcove.com?
By: Melcove Negocios | 03-09-2007
Como ganas dinero con Melcove.com?
How do I build traffic for a website?
By: inapinkbox | 21-08-2007
What is the best way to build traffic for a website? Any Tips? Creative and cheap solutions? Advice? My website is inapinkbox.com . Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Where is the biggest shopping mall in the world?
By: guia | 13-08-2007
Where is the biggest shopping mall in the world?
Kitson website
By: Maggie | 23-07-2007
Do you think that the fact that the Kitson website looks like a myspace page is intentional, or is it just bad design?
DESIGNER HANDBAGS
By: littlealibye | 07-07-2007
how do i begin to start my own designer handbag label?
New bathing suit for the coming summer
By: Zolla | 04-07-2007
Will you buy a new bathing suit this summer? Will you buy one? I always end up buying at least two suits, and it starts eating the budget...
Q&A Powered by:
Latest ECommerce Articles
How to Enlarge Your Profits on Ebay?
By: Oded Levy | 09/10/2008
If you are a seller on eBay, then you must know how hard it is to locate thoes awsome wholesalers. If you wan to know how I did it, keep reading
Brooks Sports Running Shoes With Biomogo
By: m paulino | 09/10/2008
Brooks Sports Inc. has been known as the leading designer and promoter of performance footwear, apparels, and accessories in more than 40 countries worldwide. Brooks Sports has been a nature loving company and an advocate of green living; helping the world regain its natural beauty.
High Performance Men's Jacket Only at Arc'teryx
By: m paulino | 09/10/2008
Arc'teryx is a well-known climbing harnesses and mountain apparel provider since early 90s. The name Arc'teryx comes from the legendary dinosaur Archaeopteryx Lithographica, which is considered as the earliest bird. The evolutionary process that spawned the feather and the magnificence of flight is the same evolutionary genius that Arc'teryx strives to harness and apply to their mountain apparel.
Arc'teryx Jackets – All-in-one Quality Package
By: m paulino | 09/10/2008
Arc'teryx seems hard to pronounce when first read. It's also kind of hard to remember the spelling but definitely not hard to recall the paramount performance of their sophisticated products.
Get The Drop On Drop Shipping Scams
By: Jane Dawson | 08/10/2008
Drop shipping eliminates the need to buy inventory, store it, and ship it out yourself. Working with a good manufacturer, importer or wholesaler that will drop ship offers numerous benefits, including low overhead costs and higher profit margins than you might realize through regular affiliate programs.
Ebay Selling Essentials: 4 Ways to Improve Your Shipping Dsrs
By: Derek Gehl | 08/10/2008
Your eBay selling success is only as strong as your eBay feedback -- particularly your Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs). If you're like most eBayers, getting full stars for shipping time is a challenge. Follow these 4 steps to make sure you maximize this DSR, so your listings get full exposure in eBay's Best Match search.
Learn to Sell on Ebay by Buying on Ebay
By: Derek Gehl | 08/10/2008
So you want to learn to sell on eBay. Where do you start? Believe it or not, the best way to learn how to make money selling on eBay is by becoming a buyer. Discover the 4 steps to buying with a Powerseller's mind...
Professional Website Essential: Make it Easy for Your Customers to Buy
By: Derek Gehl | 08/10/2008
Good customer service lies at the heart of a professional website. But you can minimize your customer service expenses by letting your website do most of the heavy lifting. Find out four ways to streamline your customer service...
More from Jeev Trika
Being Optimistic About Optimization
By: Jeev Trika | 26/07/2007 | SEO
If so much is being said about search engine optimization online and offline, then there is definitely something there. Of course, there are two sides to this story also. There are those who swear by the benefits of SEO while others are skeptical. Then there are others who really understand the workings of SEO and, yet others, who know it is important, but are not sure how all of this works.
Lights on for Affiliate Marketing
By: Jeev Trika | 26/07/2007 | Affiliate Programs
Like anything else, you will only get results from affiliate if you do it right. Look at it this way: if it were that easy then everyone would be making heaps of cash from affiliate marketing. But the reality is that only a selected few actually make big money from affiliate marketing. Most people never really learn how to do it right. The reason they are not able to get it right is precisely because they do not understand it before they get into it.
Make the Best of Advertising on the Internet
By: Jeev Trika | 26/07/2007 | Online Promotion
Online advertising can comprise of anything from things as simple as traditional banners, links and graphics to more advanced videos, flash files and other interactive messages. As it is, the Internet is full of messages of all kinds. For a regular Internet user it might be difficult to distinguish between the paid messages and unpaid messages. On the contrary, advertisers have never left anything to chance. If an ad appears on a certain website or a search engine results page, you can be sure that it has been placed there after research, planning and much deliberation.
What’s the Buzz About Shopping Bots?
By: Jeev Trika | 25/07/2007 | ECommerce
The Internet puts a new twist to the whole idea of discount shopping. As people become more and more comfortable with shopping online, they realize that they actually can search out products based on the budget they have for a certain product. It’s a rather easy process. There are numerous shopping comparison sites where you can search out what kind of offers retailers have and make a decision based on that information.
The Flip Side of Ecommerce
By: Jeev Trika | 24/07/2007 | ECommerce
. There is plenty about online shopping that shoppers find irritating, suspicious or difficult. This goes to say that retail site owners cannot rely merely on the fact that shopping online is a convenient way of purchasing goods and services. Things have to be put into place by the site owners to ensure that the shopping experience is, indeed, smooth and trouble free.
Why Do They Change Their Mind?
By: Jeev Trika | 24/07/2007 | ECommerce
The online shopping experience is not entirely different from traditional shopping. Shopping cart abandonment is an occurrence that site owners have been trying to understand because this means that they have a product that their consumer wants but, for some reason, he or she is not willing to complete the transaction. The fact that there has been a drop in cases of shopping cart abandonment might be because retail site owners are taking this very seriously.
Multi Channel Marketing - It’s All About Mixing and Matching
By: Jeev Trika | 24/07/2007 | Marketing
Those from the earlier days might be more familiar with the term “media mix”, when marketers believed that the best way to reach customers was not from just one direction, but from anyplace that the consumer might look. So instead of adopting just one media channel as your way of communicating with your customers, you place your marketing messages in a mixture of media sources. That is to say: a media mix.
Marketing Tactics for Ecommerce
By: Jeev Trika | 24/07/2007 | ECommerce
There are numerous marketers analyzing and planning and putting their Internet marketing campaign into action, but what does all this mean? What are the tactics that are employed for ecommerce? And is it really very different from the tactics that are used for traditional marketing?
Internet 
