Europeans Ditch Brand Searches for Longer, More Complex Queries

European online shoppers still use their internet browser’s search box to access brand sites, but they are increasingly abandoning searches for specific brand names in favor of more targeted and complex searches that are often 2-3 words long and may help them locate the best deals, writes MarketingVOX, citing research from bigmouthmedia.?

The research found that only 13% of online shoppers in Germany now use brand-navigational searches. Results for other European countries:

Study results also reveal that European search behavior varies by country, bigmouthmedia noted.? Users in Italy, Great Britain and Germany have the most complex search behavior, using four-word phrases, while one-fourth of French and Spanish consumers search for information, goods, and online services using a single keyword.

“Over the past few years consumers have become far more savvy about search, and as the recession drives people to hunt for the very best available deals, we’re seeing them adopt a sophisticated approach with the majority now employing more complicated phrases to find their way around the web,” said Andrew Girdwood, head of search at bigmouthmedia.

Girdwood added that as consumers continue to become more comfortable with the technology and the sheer volume of online information proliferates, many big brand companies may be forced to reassess their digital marketing strategies.A March report revealed that the US use of keyword searches that are eight or more words long increased 20% in the period between February 2008 and February 2009. It also found an overall trend toward longer searches at the major search engines.

Research from earlier this year also shows that generic domain names in advertising perform better than brand names that are not well known.