Industry Statistics - Offline channels the starting point for most online search, study shows

Two of three online searchers are driven to search online by offline messaging, according to a JupiterResearch study commissioned by search marketing firm iProspect.

Search influences a significant share of offline purchases – but what influences search? Offline channels have a key role in driving consumers to search online for products and services, with 67% of consumers in a recent JupiterResearch Inc. study saying they were driven to search by some form of offline messaging.

Specifically, the study of some 2,300 online consumers determined that offline channels influence a significant percentage of them to perform queries on search engines based on the company name, product or service, or slogan that appears in offline channel messages. The iProspect Offline Channel Influence on Online Search Behavior Study commissioned by search marketing firm iProspect also found that 39% of online searchers influenced by offline channels ultimately made a purchase from the company they searched.

“At the outset of the study, we figured we’d see an even split between those influenced to search by offline channels and those not influenced by offline,” says Robert Murray, iProspect president. “We were more than surprised to learn that a full 67% of online search users are driven to search by some offline channel.”

Murray adds, however, that the finding makes intuitive sense, pointing out that an offline channel message could pique a consumer`s curiosity enough to motivate a search for additional information. However, he adds, “Most offline advertising doesn’t exactly make it easy for customers to find a company’s web site.”

It follows that marketers who don’t align online and offline advertising are missing an opportunity, he says. “Two-thirds of search users jump through hoops to perform those searches now. Imagine what that number would be if marketers actually made it easy for them,” Murray says. While search on its own has proven it can be an effective route to sales, “It’s clear that its efficacy is multiplied when combined with offline channels,” he adds. “The bottom line is that integration is no longer optional.”