Whenever it comes to purchasing something new, many people tend to first research the product they are willing to buy. Many U.S. citizens would take help from search engines such as Google to learn more about the item. However, a recent study has shown that people’s use of search engines for such purposes has now started to decline.
Statista’s Consumer Insight report revealed that three years ago, in 2019, almost 69 percent of U.S. citizens would go to a search engine to learn more about the product, and by 2022, the figures had come down to 54 percent. This means 15% of the people stopped using Google or any other such platforms to research the product.
However, on the other hand, social media platforms, including websites and applications, started to gain popularity as they began having more influence as a platform offering research on the desired items. Last year, people looking forward to social networks for product information went up by 4 percent. Upon further analysis, it was observed that people between the ages of eighteen and sixty-four started using such platforms for the same purposes that search engines were once used for.
Similarly, electronic and print media such as magazines and newspapers as well as online websites for such articles also observed an increase from 2019 to 2022 as more people started referring to them for product insight. Print media houses offering consumer sections such as Consumer Reports are also among the most relied-upon sources for consumers. In addition to this, the New York Times-owned Wirecutter, a review website, has also been actively working to provide insight on different products since it was bought by the New York Times company seven years ago, in 2016.
According to the chart, search engines weren’t the only platforms that suffered losses. Customer reviews also decreased from 46 percent in 2019 to 34 percent in 2022. Similarly, online stores also suffered a reach loss, as the figures dropped from 40 percent in 2019 to 33 percent last year.
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Statista’s Consumer Insight report revealed that three years ago, in 2019, almost 69 percent of U.S. citizens would go to a search engine to learn more about the product, and by 2022, the figures had come down to 54 percent. This means 15% of the people stopped using Google or any other such platforms to research the product.
However, on the other hand, social media platforms, including websites and applications, started to gain popularity as they began having more influence as a platform offering research on the desired items. Last year, people looking forward to social networks for product information went up by 4 percent. Upon further analysis, it was observed that people between the ages of eighteen and sixty-four started using such platforms for the same purposes that search engines were once used for.
Similarly, electronic and print media such as magazines and newspapers as well as online websites for such articles also observed an increase from 2019 to 2022 as more people started referring to them for product insight. Print media houses offering consumer sections such as Consumer Reports are also among the most relied-upon sources for consumers. In addition to this, the New York Times-owned Wirecutter, a review website, has also been actively working to provide insight on different products since it was bought by the New York Times company seven years ago, in 2016.
According to the chart, search engines weren’t the only platforms that suffered losses. Customer reviews also decreased from 46 percent in 2019 to 34 percent in 2022. Similarly, online stores also suffered a reach loss, as the figures dropped from 40 percent in 2019 to 33 percent last year.
Read next: What Tools Does A Small Business Need For A Successful Empire? This Study Has The Answer
