April 21, 2009

"Data-driven solutions" key to attracting customers
Company websites must be relevant to consumers

A recently released study by Delvinia Interactive shows that a retailer’s online presence needs to enable consumers to do their pre-purchase research online. The study, which compared the online habits of the Net Generation (age 18-30) and Baby Boomers (age 45-65), was commissioned to help businesses understand the digital behaviour and attitudes of Canadian consumers.

What they found was that when it comes to the purchase cycle, bricks and mortar stores are not going away, with a large percentage of consumers still preferring to make their purchases at a store. But the majority of people surveyed do their pre-purchase research online and choose where they will purchase from based on how well the company website allows them to do so.

“The purpose of the study was to gather factual information that can help businesses to plan their strategic direction, rather than basing their decisions on hunches and stereotypes,” says Julianne Smola, Director of Strategic Development with Delvinia. “Any information a company can gather on their target audience the better equipped they are to make decisions.”

Using the results of the study, companies can focus on what their customers want from a digital perspective and then provide them with a better digital experience, Smola says.

“Our study allows businesses comprehensive insight into what Canadians in these two very lucrative demographic groups are doing and thinking about technology,” says Smola.