There’s no such thing as having too much information about products on an e-commerce site. At least, that’s the case if you want to attract more shoppers to yours from search engines, according to a new report that offers some valuable information for retailers.
The study, sponsored by search marketing firm Performics and conducted by ROI Research, reveals that more than 75 percent of shoppers say they use search engines to research products and services. Additionally two-thirds of online consumers will search the web for a product after seeing an advertisement for it elsewhere.
Approximately 500 regular users of Google, Yahoo or Bing were polled for the survey in June of this year. All were required to have used a search engine at least once in the week prior to the study and respondents were recruited and screened to offer a representative slice of the U.S. population.
The overriding theme? Search engines are proving to be a starting point for many shoppers and most of them have more than just a working knowledge of how those engines operate. As such, retailers need to add plenty of useful content to their sites in addition to promotions and aesthetically-pleasing features in order to guarantee that their items are being seen by consumers.
Perhaps the most important content is visual. More than half of the respondents say they are more likely to click on search results that have images as opposed to those that don’t. Additionally, searchers have become diligent in their researching efforts—the survey shows that 89 percent of users will modify their search or incorporate a different or additional engine if they don’t find what they’re looking for on the first attempt.
In addition to being tenacious with their searches, most users have developed a strong knowledge of search features and functions as well. Nearly two-thirds of those polled know the difference between natural and sponsored search results, with 18-29 year olds being most aware of how the two vary. 92 percent of those polled say that they click on sponsored results. And when it comes to the newer technological features added to search engines, these users have adapted to them as well: the survey shows that 56 percent occasionally click on real-time results and 43 percent view or click on sponsored video ads from time to time.
There is one bit of information that did surprise us in all this. Apparently, those new to search tend to gravitate to Yahoo over Google or Bing as their primary engine. Google, however, still has the most loyal users among those polled.
Marketers and retailers should also make a concentrated effort to have a broad presence with their search results. Respondents indicated that they are more likely to click on a search result if they’ve seen the company or brand name a few times, meaning the more search result listings you have, the better off you are.
There you have it! As always we welcome your comments and feedback!
