Consumers search online by category, not brand
By Brian Carroll -- Furniture Today, September 23, 2001
NEWTON, Mass. — NEWTON, Mass. — Analysis of Internet tracking data from HomePortfolio.com shows that consumers overwhelmingly shop by product category and not by brand.
The Internet marketing services company tracked consumer behavior on its Web site in June and found that 80% of site visitors searched for home design products by room and category. Less than 8% shopped by brand. The study analyzed more than 400,000 page views clicked by an estimated 17,000 visitors.
The data analysis "underscores the value manufacturers gain by participating in an online environment that quickly leads customers to their products through choices, not just brand selection," said Deborah Berger, senior director of client management at HomePortfolio.
Almost one fourth of visitors to HomePortfolio used the site to get information on furniture. The next two most popular areas of interest were kitchen and bathroom products.
For consumers who searched for retailers selling products in their local area, more than 30% requested information on where to buy furniture.
Nearly 25% of consumers obtaining information on where to purchase furniture products were interested in buying sofas. Other category requests were beds (12%), dining tables (11%), chairs and ottomans (9%), and cocktail tables (5%), with the remaining 38% divided among 27 other furniture categories.
As a comparison, at FurnitureFan.com, the most frequently shopped furniture category during a period of several days in August was beds, while sofas came in second. Bed frames and casual dining tables were third and fourth, respectively.
Those consumers who did shop HomePortfolio by brand looked specifically for Lexington Home Brands, Lane Venture and Mitchell Gold, among others.
HomePortfolio and FurnitureFan customers receive detailed consumer tracking data each month.
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