Is Online Advertising Making The Purchase Decision Fate A Complis Or Is There Still adequate Choice?
Traditionally the buying decision is made after significant time and effort spent in identifying the correct product or service, actually navigating around one or more outlets and followed by a period of negotiation (the amount of which is based on the goods in question).
For a company who operates exclusively on the net though, the buying decision is less about contrasting and comparing presented goods and more about a thriving Online Marketing campaign and the employment of an effective and diligent Search Engine Optimization Company.
If we discount the cost and quality comparison sites for the sake of this discussion we can see that there are a number of factors in the normal buying process that are bypasses on the Internet.
Firstly, location, which is a big restraint for any non-internet purchases. Buyers are constrained to what is accessible within their local area, otherwise they have to put up with a long journey. Locality of course is relative as some people will be able to travel the longer distances and search in a much wider sphere than others. An internet purchase is location neutral, with the possible exception of a raised delivery charge. Effective Search Engine Placement will mean that an individual can buy from anywhere in the World, maybe without understanding where the goods are coming from.
Secondly, choice. Whilst the arrival of the Internet and access to global markets would seem to provide the buyer more choice, is that actually right? A number of businesses, who have the resources, will employ successful and strong online marketing methods to ensure that their search engine placement is as robust as it can be. A company offering the same goods for reduced prices may not be visible in the search engine rankings. They may not have the resources to take up the same standard of Search Engine Optimisation Company, and therefore given the profile of Internet buying habits and the propensity for searchers to buy from page 1 the lower priced items may well be invisible to the market.
Lastly, accessibility. There is a growing grievance that the “just in time” stocking strategies of high street stores means that buying decisions are being made on what is available ( “I’ll take it in Black if that’s all you’ve got….but I really wanted Red”). The internet would seem to offer limitless stock but again how many people are prepared to spend time in looking through listings after page 1 or 2. As with high street retail it is likely that the buying decision will made to save a few more seconds of searching.
What we seem to have is the situation where productive Online Marketing strategies run by a small number of firms will effectively control the market. In physical retailing one can always look along the next street, in the internet world however you are basically told which corner to turn.
Through effective Search Engine Placement successful sellers can manage the virtual high street and on the internet there are no secondary and tertiary pitches. What you are shown is what you get to select from and most people will.
March 7, 2010
Tags: marketing, online marketing, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, web site marketing Posted in: Miscellaneous
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