It's confirmed now by a more scientific study… DoubleClick examined 12 weeks of prepurchase search engine usage…

The study, which analyzes pre-purchase search activity across four categories (Apparel, Computer Hardware, Sports and Fitness, and Travel), showed that almost 50 percent of all online shoppers conducted related research at a search engine before making an online purchase.

What is also outlined in the study is the frequency of searches and how close there are in relation to the actual purchase. All of this varies by category.

Summary of Findings:

• Search plays a role in roughly half of all online purchases.
• The majority of pre-purchase search activity (searches and clicks) involves

  generic terms, not the merchants brands.

• Branded terms peak in search activity closer to the purchase.
• Most buyers complete their relevant search activity well in advance of the purchase.
• Generic terms represent an opportunity to attract and engage in-market

  searchers throughout the buying cycle.

• Search result analyses (sales and ROI) that consider only a short period prior

  to purchase do not account for the value of generic search

Brand-specific searches accounted for only 18.1 to 28.5 percent of all searches those buyers conducted, depending on the respective purchase categories.

Nothing that we didnt guess alone – but it's good to have another resource in this Search before Purchase PDF

Source: DoubleClick: Online Advertising, Email Marketing, Database Marketing and Marketing Analytics Solutions

Via RevenueMagazine – the first and coolest online marketing magazine…