Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Google Celebrates How Much Impact the Web Is Having on Local Commerce
A recent survey by market research firm BIA/Kelsey reveals
that consumers are increasingly turning to the internet when it comes to
navigating local commerce, and it’s having a positive impact, reports
Shawn Hess in WebProNews.
What’s more, with 97 percent of consumers using the internet
to shop locally for goods and services, the web is helping consumers cast a
wider net to find deals in their communities. Fifty-eight percent of consumers
use online coupons for local goods, and nearly 20 percent are securing
reservations online. Consumers are also doing their homework and are
comparison-shopping, with the average consumer viewing 8 different media
sources during their search for local deals.
BIA/Kelsey’s director of research Steve Marshall goes as far
as saying “the data suggest we’re at an inflection point where the balance of
power in local shopping is shifting to online.”
On its official blog, Google explains: “The growth of our
Internet use has naturally helped the ecommerce industry to expand rapidly over
the past decade. But the web is also positively impacting brick-and-mortar
businesses,” going on to say that last year alone, almost $500 billion went
directly to main street retail.
The prominence of location-based deals and online coupons
are surprisingly creating more opportunities in local markets. Reporter Hess
urges all business owners to beef up their online presence to take full
advantage of the benefits on the internetfor local commerce. He recommends
Google’s program called Get Your Business Online
to build a free website and begin a promising dialogue in your community.
Michael Waddington
President, Legal Niche Pros, LLC
Attorney at Law
Licensed in GA, SC, PA, & NJ
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment