A new survey from comScore Networks claims that 25 percent of searchers bought an item directly related to their query.
Of those buyers, 37 percent completed their purchase online and 63 percent concluded a purchase offline after their search activity. The results were disclosed in comScore's “Role of Search in Consumer Buying” report sponsored by Google.
ComScore's study examined the effect of online search — excluding comparison-shopping sites — on consumers' holiday-related purchases completed online and offline during November and December across 11 categories.
The study reflects the searching behavior of 83 million Americans who conducted 552 million searches in the categories studied using one or more of the 24 leading search engines.
Offline buyer conversion differed by category. For example, consumer electronics, toys and hobbies, video games and consoles, and music/movies/videos showed offline conversions of more than 80 percent.
