6 in 10 Americans Have Researched a Product Online
Fifty-eight percent of Americans have done research online about the products and services they buy, and about one-quarter (24%) have posted comments or reviews online about the things they buy,
according to new data from the
Pew Research Center.
Online Product Research on the Rise
The percentage of Americans who have researched a product or service online is up 18.4% from 49% in 2004. Among internet users, 78% say that they at least occasionally conduct product research and 32% report that they have posted online product comments.
2 in 10 Conduct Online Product Research per Day
On a typical day, 21% of adults search for product information online. This is a 40% increase from 15% in 2007 and 133.3% increase from 9% in 2004.
Online Commercial Activity Steadily Rises
The proportion of the general population that has bought products such as books, music, toys or clothing online rose 44% in the past decade, from 36% in May 2000 to 52% in May 2010 survey. In addition, the proportion of the general population that has made travel reservations or bought travel services such airline tickets, hotel rooms or rental cars rose 136.4%, from 22% in May 2000 to 52% in May 2010.
Other Findings
- Men and women conduct online product research at similar rates.
- Online African-Americans do product research at significantly lower rates than do online whites or Hispanics.
- Online adults who are ages 65 and older do significantly less online product research than those in the 30-49 and 50-64 age groups.
- Internet users in higher-income brackets do more online research than those in lower-income brackets.
- Online Americans who speak English do more online product research than those who are Spanish speakers.
- There is no significant difference in online product researching among rural, suburban and urban internet-using adults.
- Some 83% of broadband users report doing online product research, compared with 67% of non-broadband users.
Online Shoppers Research Big Ticket Items
Consumer likelihood to conduct research before making an online purchase dramatically rises with the cost of a product,
according to data from
Compete. Dividing online purchases by price, 81% of consumers say they will conduct research before buying a product which costs $100 or more. This likelihood drops to about 70% of consumers buying a product online costing $50-$99.99.
More than half of consumers, about 60%, research purchases worth $25-$49.99, and more than 50% research purchases worth $10-$24.99. Only when the online cost of an item is less than $10 do less than half of consumers perform research (41%). Compete analysis suggests the ease of conducting online research drives these high percentages.
About the Data: This data is taken from a telephone survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project conducted between Aug. 9 and Sept. 13, 2010. The survey was administered to a sample of 3,001 adults, ages 18 and older, using a combination of landline and cellular telephones. Interviews were conducted in English or Spanish. Some data is also taken from a Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project survey conducted in May 2010.
