On-line shoppers search for 2 weeks prior to purchase

According to a new study by DoubleClick, on-line users conduct research for their purchase at least two weeks before they actually purchase the product, with 50% of purchases searched for via search engine before they buy.

A panel of 1.5m US internet consumers was used to identify people who made purchases on one of 30 sites in four categories: apparel; computer hardware; sports/fitness; and travel.

The internet media group then captured all relevant search activity of those buyers during the 12 weeks leading up to purchase.

The study 'Search before the Purchase', carried out in conjunction with DoubleClick's marketing division Performics, was developed to demonstrate how consumers use search engines in the process of making purchases online.

Key findings of the study revealed that the majority of people in 'pre-purchase' search mode use searches and clicks, involving generic keyword phrases such as "washing machine" as opposed to a specific brand. Branded search terms tended to dominate the search activity nearer the purchase.