According to DoubleClick Performics’ recent "Searcher Moms – A Search Behavior and Usage Study" (which was conducted with help from Microsoft and ROI Research) moms are heavily dependent on search engines as a source of information before making a purchase.
Of the 991 respondents, 70% indicated that they used search engines to do research before making any online purchase, while 57% said they use search engines to do research before making any offline purchase, and 64% said they use search engines to figure out where to purchase products offline.
A statement released by Stuart Larkins, vice president of search at DoubleClick Performics, indicated that 89% of the moms surveyed use Internet twice daily, and that 90% have been using the Web for more than seven years. "A whopping 86% of respondents said search engines are the most efficient way to find information," Larkins added.
A February 2007 study conducted by Nielsen//NetRatings shows that across all major search engines not named Google, the majority of users are female.
Seventy-six percent of respondents indicated that they spend an hour or more online per day, while 36% said that they spend three or more hours on the Internet per day.
Eighty-six percent of the respondents to the study said that they feel that search engines are the best means to find information, and 89% said they always start with the same one. Meanwhile, 82% said that they will alter a search if the initial results are unsatisfactory.
Fifty-seven percent of the moms surveyed search mostly using a toolbar, while 40% said they will try out another search engine if their initial query is unsatisfactory.
Most of the moms surveyed were highly educated and well off, 26% are employed full-time, 20% part-time, and are between the ages of 35 and 49.
Sources:
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1005298
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=
Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=66366
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