Searching Online, Buying Offline

Mary Bowling | 4 April 2006 |

ComScore Networks, a leading consumer behavior consultancy, released a new study confirming the significance of the online search to offline buying. “The results show that 25 percent of searchers purchased an item directly related to their query, and that of those buyers, 37 percent completed their purchase online. An even greater 63 percent completed a purchase offline following their search activity”, says their March 21, 2006 press release.

“This research helps quantify exactly how influential search really is for the overall buying process,” commented Google’s John McAteer. While it’s difficult to make any direct correlation between the hospitality industry and consumer goods purchases on which the study was focused, this study confirms our belief that your website is a much more powerful tool than the number of online reservations may indicate. As a rule, Blizzard Internet Marketing estimates that for every booking made from a lodging property’s website, four reservations are made by telephone that were prompted by the lodging website.

To read the rest of the study: www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=796.

Mary Bowling - Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.