New Research Product Tracks from Search to Sale

Research firm comScore Networks will offer qSearch Retail, a product that measures consumer behavior from an initial Web search to subsequent conversions, even when the purchase is done offline. The product combines the company’s panel data with subsequent surveys.

The need to measure the offline impact of online marketing has been a perennial issue for the industry. Findings from a recent report from Shop.org show that 22 percent of offline sales were influenced by Web search and surfing. ComScore, meanwhile, says that 60 to 90 percent of conversions that occur after a search happen offline. The company is launching this new offering to serve retailers and marketers with limited means to track activity beyond “first session” purchases, where a consumer searches for a product and buys from a Web site in one session.

“It’s increasingly clear that consumers who search for products online will often visit brick-and-mortar locations to complete their purchase,” said John Miniati, VP of comScore Networks, in a statement. “In today’s economy, retailers who offer both a strong online and strong offline presence have a distinct advantage.”

To provide quarterly data and analysis, comScore uses its Global Network panel to capture complete Internet activity including search queries and purchases of its panel members. It then conducts online survey research, which is matched with behavioral data, to capture offline data.

ComScore believes that direct online conversions account for between 5 and 20 percent of all search-related purchases, while 60 to 90 percent of conversions happen offline. A further 10 to 35 percent of conversions occur online well after the original search occurred. Behaviors vary by product category, underlying the need for deeper data.

QSearch provides information and insight for retailers, search providers, agencies and financial analysts. It offers metrics; reporting on search and purchases made online, offline, from a catalog and over the phone; latency analysis; attitudinal analysis; trending and custom analysis.