DoubleClick Performics has released industry-specific reports to help advertisers better understand the behavior of searcher moms, a highly coveted group of online moms, within different sectors.The reports cover apparel, appliances, automotive, baby and childcare, electronics, entertainment, financial products, food products, furniture, household care products, personal care products, soft drinks and travel.

“When we commissioned research earlier this year to better understand the searcher moms segment, we expected clients and the overall industry to be interested in the findings,” said Stuart Larkins, vice president of search for DoubleClick Performics. “The amount of interest turned out to be quite substantial, though, and this prompted us to take a closer look at some of the industries from which we received the most requests. These industry-specific findings will help advertisers gain a deeper understanding of searcher moms’ online behavior.”

These reports coincide with the completion of a holiday shopping study with Opinion Research Corporation. The findings of this study shed light on the holiday shopping plans of men and women with children less than 18 years of age, factors stymieing consumer spending, and differences in planned holiday spend by product category and consumer demographics. A summary of the findings is available through DoubleClick Performics upon request, but some of the study’s highlights include:

  * When asked how toy recalls and lead paint dangers would impact their shopping, more than half of respondents (58 percent) said they plan to go online to research and eliminate dangerous products from their shopping lists.
  * Sixty percent of respondents who researched a product online went offline to make a purchase.
  * Once in the store, 35 percent bought the item they researched online as well as additional items.
  * Men plan to spend an average of $893 on holiday gifts this year, significantly more than women ($673), but age and income also have a strong impact on intent to shop.
  * Only 28 percent of shoppers younger than age 35 plan to spend at least $600; while 39 percent of those age 35-44 and 40 percent of those older than 45 plan the same.
  * Fifty-five percent of households with income in excess of $75,000 will spend at least $600; while 30 percent of respondents earning $35,000 - 49,999 and 15 percent earning less than $35,000 will spend at least $600.

“In addition to toy recall concerns, consumers reported a wide range of factors impacting their holiday spending in 2007,” added Larkins. “Gas prices, the top limiting factor among respondents, will limit shopping for 52 percent of consumers. Twenty-eight percent of consumers reported feeling the effects of the housing/mortgage crunch, and another 25 percent listed unemployment as a limiting factor. All of these issues have implications for advertisers trying to balance the online/offline mix.”

With a longer holiday shopping season this year and three full weeks remaining until Christmas, plenty of time still exists for marketers to adjust search campaigns and reap additional benefits. Search is a dynamic channel that can even be refined many times a day, and DoubleClick Performics recommends marketers take a step back now and review their performance to date to determine what has worked so far, what has not, what’s missing, etc.
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