by Tatiana Repkova

An NSK survey on consumer behaviour by Internet users has found that the use of the Internet, combined with newspapers, raises the level of recognition and interest, thereby promoting purchasing behaviour.

The survey covered Internet users of both genders, aged from 15 to 69. The number of respondents to the survey was 3,803. It assessed the consumer behaviour of Internet users in four processes - “recognition/interest,” “information searching,” “purchasing behavior” and “information sharing.” When the respondents used the Internet just for “information searching” without the process of “recognition and interest,” the rate of induced actual purchasing was only 2.1 percent (multiple answers allowed).

On the other hand, the corresponding rate was 10.6 percent, representing a five-fold increase, when they underwent the process of both “recognition/interest” and “information searching.” This result identified the process of “recognition/interest” as vital for consumer behaviour. In order to assess which type of media is most effective in raising consumer “recognition/interest,” the survey made a comparative assessment of newspapers, Web sites run by businesses, “word-of-mouth” Web sites/ranking Web sites, and TV on influencing consumer behaviour. NSK News Bulletin Online, http://www.pressnet.or.jp/newsb/; May 2007