14 DAY TRIAL // Nowadays, even people who shop for pet food or other products that don't require such a rigorous previous research rely on the Internet for learning more about their purchases. A survey conducted by Nielsen Online shows that 44% of the people who own pets make a previous documentation on the Internet to find out about nutritional specifications, product ingredients, recalls, safety issues or special promotions.
When it comes to the people who acquire electronic devices, 80% of the questioned control group members said that they only buy from stores that have a website to offer more information about their products. Moreover, 53% of them admitted that they usually buy products from the outlets on whose websites they spend most of their time online. People's favorite information source is the Internet, with 53% of the respondents saying that this is the most efficient channel that shows them the electronic products they want to buy. Visits to local stores are in second place, as 25% of the persons questioned confide in what they genuinely see on the shelves. Only eight out of 100 respondents ask their friends' and family's opinions, while the same percentage seeks for professional reviews in the newspapers.
The fact that people are very fond of purchasing products online shows what should be done in order to increase the selling opportunities by expanding the number of platforms on which a product can be advertised and ultimately sold. "Surprisingly enough, the industry that retailers should look to for guidance on multi-channel integration is the media industry, which has embraced the notion of content portability, allowing their consumers to easily consume content wherever they are with whatever device they prefer. Retailers that are able to facilitate consumers' multi-channel shopping behaviors will enjoy growth in market share across the enterprise," suggested Ken Cassar, vice president, industry insights at Nielsen Online.