Strengthen Your Marketing Strategy with Google’s Consumer Barometer

As web content becomes available to an ever-growing number of users around the world, those in the marketing industry must keep aware of the various paths that connect consumers to businesses.  In order to help marketers better understand the online habits of global consumers, Google developed a free, interactive tool known as the Consumer Barometer.  The Consumer Barometer is based upon data regarding online purchases and web-enabled device usage by tens of thousands of adults in 45 countries.

The Consumer Barometer includes the following features to equip businesses and marketers with insight into when, why, and how consumers use the internet:

The Smart Shopper

From providing product information to facilitating transactions, the internet plays an integral role in a consumer’s purchasing process.  The Smart Shopper feature examines how the internet shapes consumers’ decisions and the frequency with which they actually make purchases online.  With this information, marketers may gain a

better understanding of how to get their messages across to consumers at key points in the decision-making process.

The Local Shopper

In order to attract consumer attention, businesses of all sizes must provide pertinent information to online users and place advertisements where their target consumer b

ases will see them.  The Local Shopper feature is designed to help small and medium-sized businesses attract local consumers through an understanding of their online search habits.  As demonstrated by the following chart, for example, respondents were asked which online sources they used when searching for information about local businesses.  Eighty percent of U.S. consumers indicated that they had used a search engine.  Other popular sources included the business’s website, local discount websites, and maps or navigation websites.  Respondents in the U.S. also stated that they widely use smartphones to search for information, so businesses should ensure that their websites and ads are optimized for mobile.  Businesses seeking to connect with consumers may use this data to determine where to target their marketing efforts.

The International Shopper

As worldwide internet usage continues to expand at a rapid pace, e-commerce is following suit.  Common reasons motivating consumers to make international purchases include appealing offers, greater product availability, and more favorable payment and service conditions than they may encounter in their own countries.  On the other hand, consumers seeking to buy across borders face unique obstacles, such as poorly translated information.  The International Shopper feature provides insight into these motivations and barriers, allowing businesses to learn more about new customer bases and align their marketing efforts with the growth of global e-commerce.

The Smart Viewer

Videos posted and shared online are powerful marketing devices for businesses.  The Smart Viewer feature sheds light on consumers’ video viewing habits, arming marketers with the information they need to create targeted video content.

With the Consumer Barometer’s Graph Builder tool, businesses can apply various filters, such as country and demographic group, to easily create graphs that display information about purchasing trends.  All of these features combine to make the Consumer Barometer an easy-to-use, informational companion for businesses and marketers looking to succeed in a constantly evolving digital world.