Abstract:

The Touchpoints II Study, which seeks to understand what marketing factors have the most influence on a consumer's decision to purchase a product, reveals a continuing purchase process shift set in motion by the mass adoption of interactive media. An increasingly informed, empowered consumer demands more detailed and balanced information, more readily. This shift in consumer information consumption is causing the impact of tried-and-true marketing tactics, such as broadcast media and print advertising, to diminish. While broadcast media continues to lead in creating awareness (with notable exceptions in travel and personal finance), online marketing and websites are having a dramatic impact on the further learning and purchase decision phases of the purchase process. A direct correlation exists between the growth in impact of websites and online marketing and the decline of the role of the salesperson. For most categories surveyed, consumers directly acknowledge the extensive degree of impact that the Internet has had on their purchase process.