Online Retailers Find Success with Print Ads: A Wharton School study looks at online retailing marketing tactics. Key findings: The physical density of an area plays a key role as to what works best in attracting shoppers; Print has an important role to play.
As reported by Print Power, the researchers found, “the most successful way of attracting consumers to the website depended on the physical density of consumers; a higher density implied more powerful word of mouth as the proximity of consumers amplified the possibility of interaction. Print advertising tends to work best in less dense environments where customers have less opportunities for contacts.”
Interestingly, online search and online word of mouth (social media, blogs) was not among the top three methods of acquiring new customers in the either of the two regions.
The researchers concluded, “Though it is clear that technology-enabled acquisition methods are important, the authors contend that traditional methods of customer acquisition remain vital even in the Internet retail economy.”
