European online shoppers still use their internet browser’s search box to access brand sites, but they are increasingly abandoning searches for specific brand names in favor of more targeted and complex searches that are often 2-3 words long and may help them locate the best deals, writes MarketingVOX, citing research from bigmouthmedia.?
The research found that only 13% of online shoppers in Germany now use brand-navigational searches. Results for other European countries:
Study results also reveal that European search behavior varies by country, bigmouthmedia noted.? Users in Italy, Great Britain and Germany have the most complex search behavior, using four-word phrases, while one-fourth of French and Spanish consumers search for information, goods, and online services using a single keyword.
“Over the past few years consumers have become far more savvy about search, and as the recession drives people to hunt for the very best available deals, we’re seeing them adopt a sophisticated approach with the majority now employing more complicated phrases to find their way around the web,” said Andrew Girdwood, head of search at bigmouthmedia.
Research from earlier this year also shows that generic domain names in advertising perform better than brand names that are not well known.