Happy New Year!
The Center for Media Research has just released some data regarding the web and online shopping compiled through Nielsen Online.
Enjoy these latest findings!
Nielsen Online,
studying the holiday mindset of the U.S. online shopper, found that
customer reviews are an important research tool for online consumers,
with 71 percent agreeing that consumer reviews make them more
comfortable that they
are buying the right product. 81 percent of online shoppers have read
product or retailer reviews by other customers when doing their holiday
shopping this year.
Evaluation
of this customer feedback found that 63 percent of online
shoppers indicated that it was important to have multiple reviews for
each product; 14 percent looked for reviews from an established source;
and just three percent sought out reviews by people they knew
personally.
Ken Cassar, vice president, industry insights, Nielsen Online, said
"Consumer reviews are a must-have for online retailers, especially...
when shoppers are buying for others in categories they're less familiar
with... consumers
are looking for outside feedback for guidance."
|
Important Factors in Evaluating Customer Reviews
|
|
Factor
|
% of Respondents
|
|
The product has multiple ratings or reviews
|
63%
|
|
The rating or review comes from an established source
|
14
|
|
The rating or review comes from someone I know
|
3
|
|
Other
|
2
|
|
Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008
|
24 percent of online shoppers have spent more than $500 so far this
holiday season (12/18), with 22 percent spending between $100-199
online. The 24/7 shopping convenience of the Web was the reason cited
most frequently by
respondents (78 percent) for shopping online.
|
Money Already Spent (12/18) Online this Holiday Season
|
|
Amount
|
% of Respondents
|
|
Less than $100
|
18%
|
|
$100-199
|
22
|
|
$200-299
|
17
|
|
$30-399
|
13
|
|
$400-499
|
5
|
|
More than $500
|
24
|
|
Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008
|
55 percent of respondents indicated that they logged onto the Web site of a local brick and mortar retailer before visiting the physical store. The primary reason for going online first was comparing
prices between retailers, followed by checking if an item was in stock and looking for sales in stores.
Cassar continued, "... retailers should consider the
online contribution to store sales, in addition to online sales, when
evaluating how well the season went."
|
Top 5 Reasons Consumers Visit Retailer Web Site before Visiting Store
|
|
Reason
|
% of Respondents
|
|
Wanted to compare prices between different retailers whose stores I might shop
|
33%
|
|
Wanted to see if the product I was looking for was in stock
|
28
|
|
Wanted to find sales in the store
|
26
|
|
Wanted to come up with holiday gift ideas before I went shopping
|
22
|
|
I ordered online for in-store pickup
|
12
|
|
Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008
|
62 percent of respondents said that the
most popular reason to shop at a particular online retailer was having
made a purchase there in the past. Search engines were the second most
popular way to find an
online retailer, followed by offline catalogs. These results underscore
the importance to consumers of solid, longstanding relationships with
retailers they trust, says the report.
|
Top 5 Reasons to Shop at a Particular Web Site
|
|
Reason
|
% of Respondents
|
|
I went to the retailer I have purchased from in the past
|
62%
|
|
I found the retailer through search engines
|
38
|
|
I received a catalog in the mail from the retailer
|
31
|
|
I came across an email promotion from the retailer
|
25
|
|
I subscribe to e-newsletters from retailers
|
25
|
|
Source: Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008 |