Search engines are still the most used channel to find information about products and services
According to the study ‘The influence of the Internet on purchasing decisions’, carried out by TNS in six European countries, 55% of Internet users use the websites of manufacturers or suppliers to search information on the Internet about products or services, becoming the second most important search channel in our country. First of all they are, as it would be expected, the search engines, to which seven out of ten Internet users go.
The study reveals that although search engines are also the main source of information for European Internet users, the search through the websites of manufacturers is not as extensive, since they are only 38% of Germans, 35% of the British, 29% of the French or 28% of the Dutch who go directly to these websites.
According to Julian Atienza, Director of the study “Due to the high incidence of searches on the websites of manufacturers or service providers, it is essential that companies have a good website, constantly updated, and containing the information you are looking for the consumer easily locatable, so as not to lose business opportunities”.
Websites with city maps are the third most important search channel, with a frequency of visits of 33%. On the other hand, web 2.0 channels (social networks, blogs, etc.) are still not used much to search in most countries, however, compared to other countries, Internet users are those who use these channels with a greater frequency.
Which of the following alternatives to search information on the Internet about products or services use almost always or often?
According to the function it performs for the Internet user, the study groups the information search channels into four types:
Advisor: The websites of retailers and price comparison advise the consumer by offering detailed and reliable information.
Quick guide: search engines, websites of manufacturers, auctions and maps.
Opinion formers: consumer opinion websites, independent professional critics and blogs, since they offer opinion and recommendation
Inspiring: The new ideas come from the inspiration of the microblogs and the updating of the video portals.
Atienza adds “In our country, online recommendations work better than in other countries, as we find ourselves with more open Internet users willing to listen to people who have already had some previous experience with the product or service they are looking for. more and more attention to everything that is said in the network, and have a strategy oriented to the new online information search channels “.