Marketing Advisor Blog

European research: the we-factor of e-commerce

90% of European internet users go online weekly to search for information. More than 4 out of 10 consumers search for information on brands and products via comparison, expert and user review sites.

These are results of the MC DC report (Marketers & Consumers, Digital & Connected), conducted in 16 European countries.

The MC DC report is based on quantitative and qualitative research results, supplemented by secondary sources, expertise and cases. Quantitatively, in co-operation with IAB Europe, an online survey was conducted among 32,000 Internet users (15+) in 16 countries, and a bulletin board of 200 European digital media users was used over a period of 6 weeks.

A bulletin board is an online qualitative research method which allows us to obtain useful views through discussions with several participants over a longer period. All research data was collected in June and July 2009.

Top 10 search results rule

90% of European internet users go online weekly to search for information, and 6 out 10 even do so daily. Most searches aim at finding information on hobbies, personal points of interest, and general news. The internet is also often used to find information on products, services and brands in general.
Search engines play an important part in every step of the purchase process: 59% of internet users search at least on a weekly basis for products or services they wish to buy.

But surfers are impatient. They do not want to browse several search results pages and are demanding when working with search engines. They expect the top of the list to contain the most relevant search results, since 41% gives up after checking the first 10 search results, 7 out of 10 gives up after scanning 20 search results.

The We-factor of e-commerce

Several trends have led to changed consumer behavior, including social networking, conversing, sharing, tagging, content generation, and community participation. These activities have seriously influenced consumers’ buying behavior as well. Nowadays, it is more DCC - “discovery”, “comparison”, and “conversation”.

Consumers are well connected and have a much wider range of tools available in the pre-buying phases. The huge number of customer rating and review sites mean that e-commerce has become “we-commerce”, allowing consumers to evaluate brand alternatives before buying.

This phenomenon clearly influences consumer buying behavior. Across product categories, more than 4 out of 10 consumers search for information on brands and products via comparison, expert and user review sites.

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Tips to improve conversion of an e-commerce website

These 10 tips for improving web site conversions will help any business define itself in the online world in the best way: creating sales.

Just what is a web conversion? It's when you earn money from something, namely a sale. A buyer finds your site, reads, then buys something from you, whether it's a service, a product, or sometimes even a referral to  another company.

So let's go over some dynamite ways to improve conversions.

5 easy ways to turn website customers into repeat buyers

It's easier and less expensive to turn a first time customer into a repeat buyer than it is to acquire new customers.

Ecommerce websites should never neglect a customer once a purchase is made. A first time  customer can turn into a repeat customer, referring friends in the process.

Here are 5 simple, inexpensive ways to impress a first time customers so they will remember your company website next time they make a purchase.

Recession drives growth in Internet usage in the US

According to a Harris Interactive poll, US Internet users are now spending an average of 13 hours a week online.

20% of adult Internet users are online for two hours or less per week. 24% spends 3 to 5 hours a week online, 6% 6 to 7 hours and more than a quarter (27%) 8 to 15 hours.

This means that 21% of US adult Internet users are online for more than 6 hours a week (with 14% more than 24 hours!).

1 out of 3 internet users sells online

According to recent European research from InSites Consulting, 1 out of 3 internet users sells online.

InSites Consulting says the P2P economy (consumers doing business with other consumers via the Worldwide Web) is the biggest market place that ever existed.

In 12 months (summer 2008 – summer 2009), 32% of European internet users sold something to another internet user via online classified or auction sites.

Consumers will be shopping online for Christmas

According to a survey, released last month, many consumers will be shopping online for Christmas presents this year.

The survey by eDigitalResearch and IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) revealed that consumer confidence in online shopping has grown as 93% of people plan to click online for their Christmas gifts this year.

More than a quarter of the surveyed consumers are planning to do more shopping online than last year.

Kickstart your online marketing testing

Online marketing testing, if done properly, can be a great step towards reducing the guesswork in online marketing. Online marketing testing and tracking can give you accurate and reliable answers to almost any marketing question you can image.

The tracking and testing approach should pave the path towards an online marketing decision making process based on facts, not convictions. 

Though this approach might seem pretty straightforward, online marketeers often ask me the question how to get started with online marketing testing, because this approach can be quite overwhelming.

The following simple guidelines should help you out.

Report: email is the ideal partner for multichannel initiatives by online retailers

Email marketing and cross-channel marketing solutions provider Responsys has published an email marketing guide for online retailers.

The publication, called “The Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement: How Email Marketing Drives Interest in Other Sales and Marketing Channels", discusses the growing need for cross-channel marketing coordination and explores how leading online retailers are promoting and leveraging other channels, such as mobile and social, in their email marketing messages.

Nearly 80 percent of marketers say they are executing cross-channel campaigns to some degree, according to MarketingSherpa. All indications suggest that more marketers are adopting a cross-channel approach and that their level of integration is deepening.