Searching the Internet for FMCG products

Shoppers use the Internet more and more for searching information before they buy – technical details, price comparisons, reviews from previous purchasers, etc. But now it seems that it’s not just about consumer electronics and big-money items like cars… there are actually a lot of consumers out there who are using the Internet to search for FMCG products.

Findings from a new research study called “The Digital Shelf” by comScore, Yahoo, Proctor & Gamble and the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), show significant use of the Internet to search for consumer packaged goods, and suggest correlation between online activity and offline purchase behaviour, lending credibility to the argument that there may be significant brand-building and sales-growth opportunities in search marketing.

Categories studied included baby care, personal care, home care, and packaged food. In the three months of the study, food product searches dominated, but searches for baby products and personal care products were also significant, with the majority of searches motivated by product research and the hope of finding help in making a purchase decision.