Why an online search doesn't mean an online purchase

For years, marketers have thought that if a consumer searched for and found a product they would buy it. New research indicates that an online search doesn't necessarily mean an online or offline purchase.

by Kristina Knight

According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, whether or not a product is purchased depends on the product searched. For example, music buyers may search for a band or a song but that search won't necessarily result in a purchase. Instead, the search could have been simple research. That consumer may be looking for a ring tone, band information or a wallpaper and not that song or CD.

The survey found that consumers used the Internet most for research when searching for music (56%), cell phone (39%) or real estate (49%) products/information.

Does this mean marketers should avoid search marketing? Absolutely not. In most of these cases, most of the products were purchased at a later date and/or offline. This means that search is still a very viable advertising resource that should not be ignored. Instead, marketers should adjust their expectations. Rather than expecting a search ad to result in a product purchase, marketers would be better served to expect a search ad to result in an offline purchase.