Understand Consumer Behavior / studies

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

Gifters are always on the search for the best toys that will put smiles on those little faces. More than 68% of all toy sales are influenced by the web. We wanted to understand just what kind of role does digital, search and mobile play in the shopping journey and partnered with Compete to find these insights:

• Over half of all online toy shoppers research on online retailer or mass merchant sites. Conversely, only 26% of them research on manufacturer sites. This indicates that a co-op investment strategy is crucial for toy manufacturer brands
• The top two ad types that were most effective for online toy shoppers were sponsored search engine listings (26%) and email ads (21%). Marketers should make sure the messaging and deals in the two are consistent to delivery a better experience
• 39% of online toy shoppers research for a window longer than 3 weeks, which was surprising for many of those in the industry. Marketers should lengthen their attribution window to maximize the opportunity
• Among online toy buyers, 90% of those who visited Amazon.com converted on Amazon.com. 72% of those who visited ToysRUs.com converted elsewhere. This business skews heavily towards online and merchants that are very skilled at delivering a top notch online shopping experience will have an advantage

What's more frustrating these days than unreliable internet connection? We wanted to know, how do consumers choose their internet providers for their home? What kind of research goes into the decision making process? With Compete, we found the following insights:

• Consumers don’t naturally look to bundle services, but tend to purchase bundles to save. Search provides consumers with price transparency when looking for the best offers
• Better customer service and saving money are the most important motivators for telecom shoppers. Interestingly, moving residences is the least impactful trigger
• Telecom shoppers are also looking for providers that can support their increased online video consumption. 35% of shoppers are now looking to online video as an alternative method for viewing TV/movies (up from 26% just one year ago). 26% are streaming video (up from 13% a year ago)
• 57% of wireline shoppers use search engines (including YouTube) as a resource when selecting a provider. Those who convert online are as likely to click on paid ads as much as an organic listing

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

Marketers are stoked around the official start of the holiday shopping season - door buster deals and early store openings resulted in a 6.6 percent sales increase over last year. Online outlets scored double-digit increases and Cyber Monday sales total exceeded $1.2 billion. Shopper Sciences collaborated with Affectiva and the MIT’s Media Lab to get at some biometrics using a wrist sensor to understand exactly just how shoppers feel during shopping frenzies. Here's what they found:

• Despite the crowds, pushing, shoving and retailer out-of-stocks – shoppers are generally really excited about the overall experience
• Peak moments of shopper excitement include 1) moments before entering the store, 2) the process of navigating and finding the on-sale items, 3) when the shopper located and claimed one of the key sale items on their list
• The long lines to check out were in fact the source of greatest stress to shoppers
• Shoppers who prepared with online research before heading to the stores had the lowest stress curves of any of the groups. Additionally, those who first browsed deals online and then shopped in stores spent the most – more than $400 on average

Almost 20% of total footwear sales are online. We asked Compete to help us track how footwear shoppers navigate the path to purchase, including how they search and found:

• 43% of shoe shoppers use search throughout purchase process
• There are more than 25,000 paths that footwear shoppers take, yet the top 20 paths represent 68% of all footwear shoppers
• If you're an advertiser who's not running on category terms, you're missing out on 1 out of every 5 searchers

Do marketers have a separate footwear marketing strategy for men vs. women? What about by type of shoe? We gleaned some of these insights out of this year's footwear meta study and share this piece here:

• Men were more likely than women to make their purchase offline, as opposed to doing so online
• Interestingly, 52% of men were more likely to remember seeing or hearing an offline advertisement (vs. 39% for women
• Sandals convert the most online (6.8%) versus other types of shoes like athletic shoes (4.4%) and lifestyle (2.1%)

Footwear shoppers have a ton of choices these days of where to buy, and with all the online deals, it's a cutthroat environment. Learn about how these shoppers cross-shop to better understand how to beat your competitors at the race:

• Among the race between branded sites versus retailer sites, a branded site can lose up to 78% of shoppers to retailers
• As some examples, more than 75% of all shoppers who had considered Kohl's or JCPenney as their outlet of choice, DID end up buying there. More than half of all shoppers who had once considered FootLocker or Nordstrom along the path to purchase, actually converted elsewhere
• At the end of the day, many shoppers are undecided on a brand or retailer and they shop around. Develop search and display strategies to draw them in and keep them there to convert

Signs point to positive retail growth for the holidays: October same-store sales were on the rise, traffic to top retail sites have increased 10% vs. 2010, and FedEx anticipates a 12% increase in holiday shipments vs. year ago. We asked consumers their intentions this holiday and found:

• 43% of holiday shoppers planned to do the majority of their shopping by Cyber Monday
• 82% of holiday shoppers say that online research will significantly or moderately impact which retailer they will shop at
• 77% of holiday shoppers will turn to their tablet device for online shopping, 54% will turn to their smartphones