Consumers ‘Researching and Buying Online’

by Stephen Logan on 1st December 2009

An industry expert has suggested that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should be aware of how much consumers use the internet.

Writing for UTalkMarketing, general manager of digital marketing services at BT Business Ivan Croxford claimed that having a website is now a "must-have" for all companies, since people will use the internet to find new products and retailers.

He stated that 41 per cent of consumers use a search engine to look for items and places to buy them, with the final purchase sometimes being made online and other times in-store.

As a result, Mr Croxford commented that search engine optimisation (SEO) marketing services allow firms to reach their desired audiences.

He wrote on the website: "’Search’ should now be considered the golden rule for business success, as it maximises a site’s profile and drives sales growth."

According to recent research carried out by Experian Hitwise and reported by Net Imperative, Bing has gained ground on Yahoo! and Google in terms of the number of searches carried out in October in the US, in comparison to the previous month.