Drive Online Conversion / studies

Google studied tire shoppers' use of different types of queries within the 6 months prior to conversion to better understand how tire purchasers approach the shopping process. Here are the key findings:

• 34% of maintenance shoppers start with a non-branded term and 33% of shoppers switch from the first brand searched to the brand they ultimately purchase.
• While 60% of maintenance search volume is related to the brand purchased, shoppers continue to investigate alternatives, with 40% of query volume related to non-branded terms and competitor brands.
• 55% of maintenance schedulers' final searches involve the brand they buy. Actual maintenance scheduler query paths indicate that late brand queries are used to locate, price and confirm brand choice.

Google studied new vehicle purchasers' use of different types of queries within the 6 months prior to purchase to better understand how vehicle purchasers approach the research process. Here are the key findings:

• Shoppers enter the market with an initial consideration set, and an open mind: 37% start with a non-branded term and 43% of shoppers switch from their first brand searched to the brand they ultimately purchase.
• Vehicle research involves heavy cross shopping: A third of vehicle research involves competitors to the brand ultimately purchased.
• Shoppers compare to the very end: While most (35%) of purchasers' final searches involve the brand they buy, 33% last search for a competitive brand and 32% last search for a non-branded term.

Google studied tire shoppers' use of different types of queries within the 6 months prior to conversion to better understand how tire purchasers approach the shopping process. Here are the key findings:

• Tire shoppers enter the market with an open mind: 37% start with a non-branded term and 43% of shoppers switch from their first brand searched to the brand they ultimately purchase.
• Tire research involves heavy cross shopping: 71% of tire search volume deals with cross-shopping. A greater share of queries involve brands not purchased versus the conversion brand.
• Shoppers compare to the very end: While most (38%) of purchasers' final searches involve the brand they buy, 33% last search for a competitive brand and 29% last search for a non-branded term.

Our research partner BabyCenter shares their latest edition of their industry leading 21st Century Mom® Insights Series. BabyCenter, together with Nielsen, introduces The 2012 American Media Mom Report – an exploration of how the media habits of today’s moms are changing the rules for marketers. Motherhood significantly impacts how women use media, and this report examines how this critical audience segment – with over $2 trillion in spending power – is blending traditional and digital formats in new ways. Before engaging Mom, marketers need to be aware of the changing dynamics affecting her media choices, like some of the findings below:

• Women are using 40% less each of magazines, newspapers and TV since becoming a mom.
• Moms use their mobile device for mobile shopping 58% more than the general population.
• Moms spend 60% more time on blogs than the general population.
• 1 in 5 moms have scanned a product barcode for price comparisons in the past 30 days.

As more and more shoppers use their smartphones to research and make purchases, we will see retailers focus on optimizing for the mobile shopping experience. This includes making sure that their business listings come up high and prominently for users. In 2011, Mediative ran an eye-tracking study on user behavior on the mobile device using the free Google Places app on the iphone. Below are some key takeaways from the study:

• Top three positions and social signals like reviews on Google Places perform well on mobile phones. Listings that had at least 3+ star reviews took 41 out of 47 clicks.
• The number of reviews matter too. 29 of the 47 clicks went to listings that had at least four reviews.
• Eye-tracking reveals that while images on the iPhone listings are very small, users would pause on a listing because of the social proof offered by positive reviews, and then look at the image before making a decision to click to see if they are trustworthy. As a result, it's important for businesses to give some special consideration to mobile imagery.

We are beginning to develop a strong understanding of how shoppers engage with their mobile devices and tablets as they make their purchase decisions. We partnered with Ipsos during the 2011 holiday shopping season to uncover the following interesting behaviors that advertisers can leverage all year round:

• Consumers use their smartphones at many different points in their purchase path. 41% of those who use their mobile phones to help with shopping said they made a purchase directly on their smartphone. 46% said they researched an item on their smartphone then went to a store to make the purchase. 37% said they researched an item on their smartphone then made the purchase online.
• Consumers who own tablets read product reviews and look for product information more from their tablet devices than from their desktop computer or smartphone. The large screen and portability of the device enables consumers to use it more often and in more places.
• More consumers used their smartphones to contact a retailer this holiday than in previous years. This is driven by the natural calling ability of phones, access to click-to-call phone numbers on websites and click-to-call ad features that seamlessly connect users to retailers.
• 80% of smartphone shoppers and 70% of tablet users said they used their device more frequently this year.

39% of smartphone shoppers use videos while researching and shopping. We partnered with Compete to understand the role of video in today's smartphone research process and purchase journey and found that as a direct result of viewing smartphone product videos:

• 64% of smartphone shoppers became interested in specific smartphone models
• 44% were introduced to smartphone brands not previously considered
• 36% heard about the smartphone product for the first time
• 51% looked for promotions or coupons on mobile
• 61% visited a store as a result of watching a product video

More than half of all tablet shoppers use videos while researching and shopping. We partnered with Compete to understand the role of video in the tablet research process and purchase journey and found:

• As a direct result of viewing tablet product videos, 71% became interested in specific tablet models and 56% were introduced to tablet brands not previously considered
• 72% of viewers said tablet videos were useful in the purchase process and 44% visited a store as a result of watching
• 80% of tablet shoppers are likely to watch videos again the next time they are shopping for tablets

42% of TV shoppers use videos while researching and shopping. We partnered with Compete to understand the role of video in today's TV research process and purchase journey and found:

• Of those that watch TV videos in the research process, 81% watch for more than 10 minutes
• As a direct result of viewing TV product videos, 59% became interested in specific TV models and 61% were introduced to TV brands not previously considered
• Mobile has a significant role in the process. After viewing a TV product video, 72% looked up a store’s location on their mobile phone. 57% researched and shopped on mobile device while in retail store

We partnered with Compete to understand the role of video in today's tech research process and purchase journey. We studied across TV, smartphone, and tablet shoppers and found the following behavior surfaced as a direct result of viewing product videos:

• Overall, 44% of technology shoppers used videos while researching and shopping, of which 81% watch for more than 10 minutes
• Among those who viewed tech product videos, 64% became interested in specific technology product models and 55% were introduced to brands not previously considered
• 72% looked up a store’s location on their mobile phone and 57% researched and shopped on mobile while in a retail store

The purpose of this 2011 Google/Compete study is to quantify consumers' use of the online channel for automotive services research and shopping. Today's vehicle service shoppers:

• Typically purchase for routine maintenance or repair prefer to buy in-person when they need service quickly
• Buy online for price, selection and convenience.
• Compare two or more brands across sites.
• Increasingly watch videos to educate themselves