Local Shoppers Look Online First!
March 15th, 2010
A new study reported in eMarketer indicates that 90% of local shoppers go online first to find what they are looking for! I find this an astonishing figure. It really says that no matter what kind of business you are in, you better have an Internet presence if you want to be effective in meeting your competition.
Local shoppers shop online first!
This chart, coming from BIA/Kelsey, makes the point clearly. Ignore this at your peril! If you are in business and not utilizing the web to inform your prospects about your products and services, your competitors are going to have an advantage over you. Someone competing with you will be using the web, and they are who shoppers will encounter when they go online.
I didn’t understand the concluding part of your article, could you please explain it more?
Many people make the assumption that, because the web is worldwide, it is not effective for local oriented businesses. ‘The whole point of this posting is to point out that local oriented businesses cannot afford to ignore the opportunity to promote their business over the internet. People shopping in the local market use the Internet to research their purchases before they go out to a local store!