As social has become more and more important as a tool for online product research the boundaries between search engines and social networks have been weakening for some time. New research from Global Web Index reveals the most popular channels for product research around the world. Crucially, social networks now have a lead over search […]
As social has become more and more important as a tool for online product research the boundaries between search engines and social networks have been weakening for some time. New research from Global Web Index reveals the most popular channels for product research around the world.
Crucially, social networks now have a lead over search engines for product/brand based research in 12 of our 40 tracked markets, with the majority being fast growth markets within the regions of Latin America and the Middle East & Africa.
Social media sees the most dramatic leads over search engines as a research channel in the Philippines, Kenya and Morocco.
Age is key here – mobilecentric younger consumers are more likely to be using social networks for this purpose, and in many of these fast growth markets modest internet penetration rates skew online populations towards these younger age groups. In those regions with broader age profiles – such as North America and Europe – search engines retain a strong lead.
