Pure360: Purchasing behavior unaffected by Internet and social media

According to Pure360’s UK buying behavior study ‘Confessions of a Shopping Nation‘, consumers believe that traditional marketing methods have more influence on their purchasing behavior than digital. Even so, three-quarters of UK consumers actively ignore all types of marketing messages and 59% feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of marketing information they are exposed to.

“The digital era has truly revolutionized buying habits and with consumers being daily bombarded with information, marketers must be more clever and tailored in their approach than ever before,” says Abi Jacks, Head of Marketing at Pure360.

Despite growing digital marketing budgets and the use of multiple online and mobile channels, more than two-thirds of consumers in the study said that social media and the Internet in general have very little influence on their purchase decisions. Today, 84% say they are spending more time than ever researching purchases, their main objective being to find the best value for money.

The amount of time spent researching was found to link directly to the price of a product. Research on non-essential items such as fashion or entertainment saw a time investment of around 2 hours while research time for essential items such as technology and household items might take 4 to 5 hours. Luxury items such as cars, property and holidays could take longer still, between 7 and 21 hours.

“The rules of engagement have changed and while marketing trends determine new strategies, what remains key is knowing your customer,” writes Becky Hesilrige, social media and online PR manager at Pure360, on the company blog. “Understanding and targeting peoples’ individual needs will drive engagement and with the currently low receptiveness to new digital marketing strategies, there is plenty of scope for marketers to utilize new innovative channels.”