New Movers Turn to Local Search

New movers are increasingly turning to local search to get information about their new towns, according to a study conducted by Harris Interactive for Yahoo

One in every four U.S. adults have moved within the last three years, and 60 percent of new movers said the experience was stressful.

However, 91 percent of new movers – a group coveted by marketers because moving always triggers a slew of new purchases – found that using the Internet for local searches was helpful in reducing their stress.

The top four stress-reducing features of using the Internet for local search cited by new movers was comprehensiveness (58 percent), speed and convenience (51 percent), accuracy (41 percent) and dependability (28 percent), according to the study.

Seventy nine percent of new movers searched for local maps and directions within a month of moving, making it the primary search activity by new movers. Sixty four percent looked for movie theaters, bars and nightclubs, making entertainment the secondary local search activity for new movers; and 56 percent looked for restaurants, making that activity third.

Other popular search categories for new movers in descending order from most popular are doctors and dentists, supermarkets, home and garden stores, churches, drugstores, hardware stores, gyms and dry cleaners.

The results are based on a survey of 2,604 U.S. adults who have relocated within the past year, according to Harris Interactive.