Local Inventory Data Gaining Momentum
In my Locals Only column at Search Engine Land today I unpack the recent Krillion-E-Tailing Group study on Web2Store consumer behavior in a bit more detail:
The expressed purpose of the study, completed in February, 2008, was to “better understand the mindset of consumers who research online products that lend themselves to purchase at a local store.” One thousand consumers participated in the study; half were male and half were female US adults. All spend at least $500 online annually and said that they made online purchases at least four times per year. So this was a group of self-professed online buyers.
Overall the study found that these consumers spent large amounts of time researching products online, using a range of information sources (including search engines), then typically buy in local stores. In addition the survey found that “as the complexity of the product increases, consumers are more likely to research online/offline and then complete their purchase at a local store.”
