Teens research online, buy offline

Online marketers may be missing the boat with the teen set. According to a recent study from the Online Testing eXchange and eCrush, teens aren't buying online.

by Kristina Knight

Researchers found that teens do turn to the Internet for research, or at least the Internet is where they find out about hot new products. However, when it comes time to buy, teens stick with their favorite haunt: the mall. Of the teens studies, 95% said they preferred shopping in malls rather than through catalogs or online venues.

Although teens aren't buying online, they do spend a lot of hours with the Internet. The study found that 65% of the teens surveyed find out about new products first online. About 62% said they found out about new products from friends, 54% found out from television ads 48% credited magazine ads with finding new products.

"People think about teens and the Internet, and get this idea that's where they spend all their waking hours, and it's just not true," says Bruce Friend, president for media and entertainment insights for Online Testing eXchange.

This is the reason marketers need to incorporate all aspects of shopping - catalog/online and in-store - in advertising campaigns. Though teens may not buy online, there is no denying the fact that teens have a lot of expendable cash. Offering them a place online to research a product could help their buying decisions once in the store.