In my internet marketing consultations with small business owners, I have been using the quote that “86% of people go online to find their business before they walk in the door”.
It’s a great way to capture their attention and let them know that the world has dramatically changed from the “Yellow Pages” days.
However, I just ran across an article that pointed to more current research that says 97% of consumers now use the Internet to research / find a local business prior to visiting it!
Quote:
Nearly all consumers (97 percent) now use online media when researching products or services in their local area, according to BIA/Kelsey’s User View Wave VII, an ongoing consumer tracking study conducted with research partner ConStat. Among consumers surveyed, 90 percent use search engines, 48 percent use Internet Yellow Pages, 24 percent use vertical sites, and 42 percent use comparison shopping sites.
“The Internet has indeed become an integral part of consumers’ local commercial activity,” said Steve Marshall, director of research, BIA/Kelsey. “The data suggest we’re at an inflection point where the balance of power in local shopping is shifting to online.”
According to the study, on average, consumers are using 7.9 different media sources when shopping for products or services in their local area, up from 6.5 sources in 2009 and 5.8 in 2008, revealing a noteworthy increase in audience fragmentation. Additional findings include:
- 58 percent of respondents report using an online coupon when shopping for products or services in their local area in the past year.
- 19 percent of respondents report making an appointment online in the past six months for a service other than a restaurant reservation (e.g., business appointment, health-care appointment, auto service or personal service such as a beauty shop).
Get the full article by clicking here.
By the way, my team and I know how to get those customers finding YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS. Visit www.MarketMyLocalBiz.com for details!