OMD: 2017 Search Research White Paper

Search is closely related to every marketer, but in China there is still a lack of search marketing practices beyond media spending, keyword search and bidding. OMD's search research white paper deeply explores consumers' search behavior and how search advertising affects their purchasing decisions.

The survey tracked more than 13,000 searches by 150 consumers across devices over a two-week period. In addition, through surveys of consumers, the report found the latest consumer insights, including their search engine usage habits, the influence of search ads on them, and the attitudes of consumers in specific categories towards search technology.

Key findings of the report:

1. Product and service related searches only account for 19% of total searches. Most searches are based on basic life needs.

2. The less a searcher knows, the more they search. In the automotive category, female searchers far outnumber male searchers (8.1:5.8), and in the skin care category, male searchers outnumber female searchers (6:4.7).

3. Searchers are eager to get more information. 90% of searchers browse more than the first page, and 80% of searchers use multiple search engines.

4. Mobile phones surpass computers in search usage (52% vs. 41%), and device preference depends on the time of day. Generally speaking, the reason for using mobile phones is its convenience, while the reason for using computers is its visibility.

5. The use of search functions will have a great impact on consumer purchasing behavior.

In the automotive category, 69% of users found the brand section more attractive than the regular search page, and 83% would click on the promotional link to get more information.

6. Consumers are using new technologies to search;

97% of searchers use autocomplete, and 68% use image or voice search. For convenience reasons, older consumers use these search features more than younger people.

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