Traditional Media Fuels Online Searches

It appears that online searches are being fueled by low-tech marketing: traditional advertising. According to a recent survey conducted for the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) by BIGresearch, consumers take cues from traditional advertising to determine when and where to search for merchandise online. Consumers said that they were most motivated to begin an online search after viewing ads in magazines, newspapers and on TV, and from reading articles.

“When it comes to advertising, retailers always need to be careful not to put all of their eggs in one basket,” said Mike Gatti, executive director of RAMA. “While search-engine marketing continues to be a popular strategy, retailers should not lose sight of traditional advertising channels to promote products and services.”

Shoppers continue to use the Web as a resource before determining which items to buy and where. According to the survey, 92.5% of adults said they regularly or occasionally research products online before buying them in a store. Products that are most often researched online before being purchased in a store include electronics (50.8%), apparel (31.9%) and appliances (27.0%).Men were twice as likely as women to shop for automobiles on line (20.2% vs. 10.2%).