ChristiaNet.com (http://www.christianet.com), the world's largest Christian portal with twelve million monthly page loads, asked readers to participate in a new survey by answering the question, "Has online marketing influenced your purchasing decisions?" The results of this poll show that overall readers aren't influenced by online marketing when making purchases. Bill Cooper, President of ChristiaNet says, "Targeted advertising should help marketing attempts to appeal to consumers and influence purchasing decisions." (http://www.christianet.com/onlinemarketing/)
Out of 245 participants, 163 answered "no" to the survey question. Many readers that admit to shopping online seem to have specific items that they like to buy over the Internet. Popular online purchases include airline tickets, hotel bookings, and computer purchases. One participant said, "If I see something that catches my eye online I still research it and see if I am getting a good value before I buy it." Some readers in this group prefer not to shop online for varied reasons. Security is an issue for many participants and others just prefer shopping at favorite stores.
Fifty-nine readers answered "yes" to the survey question. Twenty-five percent of participants admit to being influenced by online marketing. One reader said, "Advertising in any realm can influence a person's decision to purchase an item." Sometimes people are influenced by advertising without even realizing it. Targeted advertising is usually based upon studies that show what consumers are buying in certain areas. This might be seen on the Internet in the form of banners, emails, and pop-ups. Some readers in this group believe they have been influenced by such ads.
Twenty-three participants were unsure about the survey question. Some readers like to examine goods before buying. Others look at some targeted advertising online as an invasion of privacy. Pop-up ads and email are often looked at negatively and many users try to block these types of ads, not only for privacy purposes but because users are afraid of viruses and spy-ware. It might be more successful for online marketers to consider purchasing ads for placement on other web sites not only for targeting a specific market but for more exposure. Online shoppers might be more likely to read an ad when the decision is theirs to do so. For more information, visit: http://www.christianet.com/articles/
About ChristiaNet
ChristiaNet.com (http://www.christianet.com), the world's largest Christian portal with twelve million monthly page loads, receives around one million visitors per month and has 400,000 email subscribers who have access to an online shopping mall, job bank, Biblical and life application resources, free ecards, Christian blogs and friendship communities.
