As Xmas is getting closer, OTO Research, the research institute
of FullSIX Group, took stock of the situation of search engines'
usage and users' interest in results in the context of a purchase
process. Are they looking for UGC?
The main insights of the survey are the following:
- 78% of people regularly use the search engine when they decide
to buy something.
- 45% use them systematically.
These average figures hide big gaps between different categories
and products: 67% use search engines very often, when looking for
household goods or High Tech products VS 33% for food and beverages
and 21% for luxury goods.
But as soon as they start using search engines they use them
intensely. This is one of the most astonishing insights of the
survey: 70% of search engine users look at 3 pages of results and
37% go up to the fifth page. For any important purchase they do up
to 8 searches (which means they examined 473 links).
These results are quite astonishing and prove that, within the
context of a detailed research internet users can go far.
This is explained by the large amount of information users look
for. Actually, what consumers are looking more for, with as much
interest as they used to have for brands or retailers' information,
is advice from price comparators and other users' opinions.
These opinions come second, after the brand itself, in most
requested information in food and beverage category, as well as in
banking, and telecommunication services.
Another unexpected result of this survey concerns the interest
showed for blogs, that are always mentioned amongst the most
searched results. Even if their perceived influence seems to be a
lot less than the real influence.
So UGC is well positioned in terms of influence when we talk about
a purchase. Furthermore, 41% of interviewed people declare they are
often (or even very often) influenced by some UGC. Anyway it hasn't
yet gained enough influence in all categories. For example it is
particularly strong in tourism, equipment and services, where UGC
influenced is much stronger than in products of current usage.
Luxury and fashion, on the contrary, are less affected by this
phenomenon, where choices are dictated by personal taste, more than
by others' opinion.
This survey shows a new phenomenon. Consumers' interest for UGC is
pushing towards a more massive usage of search engines, in order to
find out the most pertinent advices, while more and more brands see
their influence diminishing. They're still a minority; but for how
long?
METHODOLOGY
209 online, self-managed questionnaire, submitted by the target
(French internet users) between the 15th and 22nd of
September.
ABOUT OTO RESEARCH
OTO Research is a research institute, belonging to FullSIX Groupe.
Specialized in digital issues, OTO Research develops and exploits
proprietary tools to track and analyze brand image and strategies'
performance. Thanks to its proprietary online panel it runs the
creation of performance measurement indicators and ROI. For more
information: www, oto research.com.