MarketingSherpa.com put together an informative chart on its site revealing that there continues to be a growing shift in buyer’s purchasing behavior. Specifically that for large and otherwise complex purchases (above $25,000), buyers are mainly turning to search engines and Web sites for product review and information.
The convenient and relatively inexpensive means of doing online research are two of the biggest motivators behind this change in buyer behavior, especially when put up against the difficult economy and otherwise limited financial resources that buyers have available for conducting such research. Worth noting is that information gathered off the Web, including analyst and researcher opinions, ranks as the most trusted and influential resource. Blogs and social networks are quickly emerging as leading informational resources due to the objectivity of the content they provide and the fact that the sites are constantly being updated.
For those who think that search engine optimization and social media are just flash-in-the-pan marketing gimmicks, results like these are hard to ignore. The shift in consumer trends has already started and is clearly gravitating towards the Web. Becoming familiar today with all of the many resources that the Web has to offer is just the start to making sure one’s company is ready to effectively market itself in the coming years.
Austin Williams is an outcomes-driven full service advertising, marketing, digital and public relations agency, creating ideas that inspire action for clients in healthcare, higher education, financial services, nonprofits and professional services.