A new survey by Bazaarvoice, richrelevance and Jupiter Research on online shopping behavior continues to reinforce and build on the importance of the Web in making informed decisions.
Equally interesting, the study also shows a growing number now look to the Internet first as part of their decision-making process. Where 41% of consumers in 2004 already had decided on which item or title to purchase before going online to research, that number dropped to 31% in 2008.
Once online, majorities found a variety of tools useful for researching or making a purchase: store/retailer Web sites (89%); search engines (86%); user ratings (77%); or recommendations from buyers (66%).
In a tight economy, consumers more than ever are looking to make the most of their dollar. For marketers, that means opportunities to continue to help retailers to not only build trust in brands, but working to improve the tools and information necessary to reach through the clutter and help consumers in the decision-making process.
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