US Shoppers Look Online, But Don’t Buy
The Pew Internet & American Life Project has revealed that many Americans look online rather than buying. Some 40 to 55 per cent of Americans use the internet for product research, but that does not translate into making a purchase. The study followed people who were buying music, cell phones and houses.
According to associate director John Horrigan, the internet is ‘used in a very technical way to help people eliminate options that aren’t useful for them.’ Once they’ve done that, most people end up in a brick and mortar store to make the purchase.
Those buying houses do a lot of preliminary research online, especially when considering moving to a new area, but finalise the purchase offline. The survey results make interesting reading.
In other shopping news, a shopping center in Portsmouth, UK is using consumers’ cell phones to track their behavior while in the mall. Using a receiver, which costs £20,000 (roughly $40,000) a month, they are able to see what route their customers follow through the mall, where they stop and look, and how long they spend in stores. More on that story here.
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