Consumers ‘Research Purchases for Weeks’

by Stephen Logan on 1st March 2010

Some product categories are researched for a number of weeks by the average consumer, before they make an online purchase.

Figures published on the Google Retail Blog show that three major categories are typically researched for two weeks or longer by online shoppers.

These are home furnishings at an average of 14 days ahead of the purchase, and home appliances and electronics at a typical 16 days each.

Other high-value goods such as watches and jewellery are among the items that are researched for the next-longest, at 12-13 days each.

The figures could be of particular interest to users of SEO marketing services, as they indicate that many website visitors who do not make an immediate purchase may go on to do so at a later date once they have learned the desired information about a product.

Google Insights for Search reveals that, in December 2009, "ipod" was the most popular query in the consumer electronics category, with specific models including "ipod touch" and "ipod nano" also ranking in the top ten.