|
eMARKETING RESEARCH FOR CONFIDENT DECISION MAKINGGather Market Intelligence to Stay Ahead of the CompetitionAlthough a critical step to the success of any marketing strategy, strategic market research is not employed nearly enough by the majority of companies. While we often take for granted that we know what our consumers think, in reality we could, quite possibly, have no clue on their opinions and attitudes. Before we go out and spend substantial amounts of our marketing budgets based on gut feeling alone we should make sure we understand what customers really want and not what we think they want. The importance of gathering relevant, accurate, and current information, analyzing and converting it into market intelligence - at the various stages in business decision making process - cannot be overemphasized. Strategic online market research reveals powerful insights into a market, what makes it tick, how consumers really behave, current trends in consumer spending habits, future consumer marketing trends, etc. - and how you can leverage this knowledge in your own business. Knowing how to reach your targeted consumers, how to market to them effectively and drive revenue for your business is vital for your ongoing market success. Whether to solve problems or discover opportunities, timely insight into eMarketing research findings is the key to accurate and confident decision making. INTERNET IS A HUGE POTENTIAL CUSTOMER BASE No matter how you measure it, more people are using Internet more frequently than ever before. And rapidly increased online engagement and Internet audience size translates into a large market place. Latest statistics reveal there are over over 1,5 billion worldwide Internet users (Internet WorldStats, 2009). Internet is a huge potential local and international customer base - and the fastest growing in the world. Still among the world's online leaders, the US has over 250 million Internet users - 74.4 % of population (China surpassed it in 2008). Currently, Americans are using the Internet more often than ever - nearly half of Americans are frequent Internet users (Gallup, 2009). Internet is not only a huge potential customer base but consumer research online influences greatly both offline purchasing and shaping of branding perception. SHOPPING ONLINE IS CONVENIENT Shopping online has become very popular. Current research on shopping habits online shows that:
People rarely buy straight away. Few online purchasing experiences are completed without previous research, and the Internet makes such research easy. CONSUMERS LOOK FOR INFORMATION FIRST To make informed buying decisions, shoppers first look for different kinds of information resources available online - to discover and evaluate products, compare them, explore product reviews and recommendations, and find where they can be purchased. Customer reviews are an important research tool for online consumers.
ONLINE RESEARCH INFLUENCES BOTH ONLINE & OFFLINE SALES Vital for online sales, product research also drives offline sales:
ONLINE RESEARCH IMPACTS BRAND LOYALTY Online research changes brand decisions for online consumers:
With the increase in online product research consumers become more open-minded about trying new experiences, so the shift in their online shopping habits and brand decisions might be expected. Nevertheless, understanding consumer behavior and spending trends in
recession is paramount - if you want to market to your customers effectively.
Recession
Impact on Internet Usage & Consumer Behavior Change >> Using eMarketing research to understand your audience better, anticipate a change in consumer needs and preferences, and refocus your marketing strategies to act upon emerging opportunities is vital to make smart, accurate business decisions.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
User Oriented Design & Ethical Website Marketing Strategies by Distinctia, 2003 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||