Consumer electronics and tech gadgets are continuously one of the most popular and sought-after product categories out there in the world of retail. But due to their often higher price tags and complicated nature, they’re also the products that require the most consumer research and exploration.
According to new findings, though electronics and computer purchases seem to be split evenly between online and traditional storefronts, two-thirds of shoppers start their research for those products online—yet another indication that consumers are being diligent in their shopping research, particularly with bigger-ticket items.
The research, a combination of data from an online focus group and a poll this spring of about 1,200 shoppers, was conducted by our friends over at comScore and sponsored by search marketing firms Searchandise Commerce and iProspect, and delves into both how consumers research tech products and which items in particular they’re actually researching the most.
The poll’s respondents say that notebook computers and televisions are the top products researched or purchased online, at 52 and 42 percent respectively. Home theater systems (12 percent) and audio speakers (11 percent) comprised the bottom of the list among consumer online choices.
As for the actual shopping process itself, two-thirds of those polled start their research online and go from there. Only 10 percent of those polled say they start the shopping process at a physical store while 19 percent begin at a specific retailer’s website and 18 percent use a search engine to get things started. Online consumer reports, auctions/classifieds, comparison shopping engines, social networking pages, blogs and various traditional media sources all rounded out the rest of the list.
Despite the obvious preferences for online research options, it’s also clear that the consumers polled still place a high value on the sensory evaluation of tech products, i.e. seeing, touching and interacting with those types of items in physical stores before making a decision. Respondents said they go with online channels first because it’s easy to compare goods (61 percent) and find the information they need on those items (47 percent), while 51 percent cited the convenience of online shopping tools as well.
Other findings from the data:
-42 percent of consumer electronics shoppers start their research with a brand in mind, while 53 percent of those shopping for computers do the same;
–On average, shoppers consult 4.1 information sources during their research process both online and off;
–85 percent of those who ended up making a purchase did so within seven weeks of starting their research;
–94% of shoppers click on between one and 10 products delivered in site’s search results, and then look at price, product features and preferred brands as the main differentiators;
–Shoppers who prefer buying offline indicated that better prices and special promotions and discounts like free shipping would encourage them to spend more online.
As always, we welcome and encourage your feedback! Leave us a comment with your own preferences for electronics and computer purchases!
It’s reasonable to start looking online to compare prices as well as features because of the speed for information access. Sometimes, it may be beneficial to visit a regional physical store if you want to get some feeling about the product itself. But, online shopping is always better-off because of the price.