Study Finds Consumers Using Online Shopping Directories are Highly Satisfied, More Likely to Shop Online Again and Inclined to Recommend Online Shopping to Friends

Furniture World Magazine

New research released today by ForeSee Results reveals that shoppers who use shopping search engines to compare prices, products and stores are highly satisfied online shoppers. The survey, conducted live on DealTime.com, found that online shoppers who use shopping search engines to compare prices are more satisfied with their buying experience, representing a 22 percent improvement in satisfaction over those who don’t. Users of shopping search for the purpose of comparing prices were also found to be 24 percent more likely to shop online in the next two months and 26 percent more likely to recommend online shopping to others. “Our research demonstrates that the use of shopping search engines like DealTime can have a significant positive impact on a consumer’s experience of online shopping,” said Larry Freed, President and CEO of ForeSee Results. “Consumers clearly grasp the advantages of shopping search, but merchants reap great benefits as well. Shopping search engines provide them with a large quantity of qualified buyers who turn into highly satisfied online shoppers that are likely to return again and again.” The study found that online shoppers use shopping search because it empowers them to do the following: • Compare prices quickly: 73 percent • Compare products: 54 percent • Find stores selling the product they are looking for: 45 percent • Lower the risk of making a bad purchase: 28 percent • Find most popular products: 27 percent • Narrow product choices: 25 percent • Compare the reputations of online stores: 25 percent In addition, more than 50 percent of shoppers surveyed said that shopping search engines help them save time and save money (54 percent and 52 percent, respectively). “Shopping search engines will continue to provide a significant value to the consumers participating in online shopping,” continued Freed. “Consumers reward organizations that provide a high level of satisfaction with their future purchasing activity and will leverage the immense referral power of the web. Shopping search engines like DealTime will play a critical role in the continuing evolution and improvement of the online shopping industry.” Methodology: ForeSee Results used its Satisfaction Management Technology, The American Customer Satisfaction Index methodology, and DealTime’s broad reach to measure the success of shopping search engines. Over 1,100 consumers were surveyed as part of this research. For more information, go to www.foreseeresults.com. About ForeSee Results ForeSee Results is the market leader in online customer satisfaction management and specializes in converting satisfaction data into user-driven web development strategies. Using the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index developed at the University of Michigan, ForeSee Results has developed a model that blends innovative technology, statistics, and economics to scientifically quantify the elements that drive online customer satisfaction and their link to future behaviors like likelihood to purchase, return to the site, or recommend the site to a friend. ForeSeeResults was co-founded by Compuware Corporation, a multi-billion dollar software and IT services company, and CFI Group, an internationally-recognized market research consulting firm founded by Dr. Claes Fornell.