Although adult consumers in the US use the Internet to research and discover new products, it is usually not the key factor in final purchasing decisions, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project's newly released "The Internet and Consumer Choice" study.

Pew surveyed consumers about how they discovered various products. Of respondents who bought music in the prior year, 83% found out about music from the radio, TV or in a movie. Nearly two-thirds followed the advice of friends, family members or co-workers. More than one-half said they went to band Web sites or streamed song samples.

However, when it came to actually choosing what to buy, only 12% of music purchasers surveyed said that online information had a major impact on their decision.

"The Internet is a tactical tool for shoppers who use it in product research, and usually not a game-changer in people's purchasing decisions," said John B. Horrigan, associate director at Pew, in a statement. "Its impacts show up in efficiencies in the search process. Even for a digital product such as music, people more often than not buy in stores, not online."



Pew also surveyed US adult Internet users about how online information affected decision making for mobile phone and real estate purchases.

The Internet had a greater impact on those decisions, at rates of 27% and 23%, respectively. About three-quarters of respondents who purchased mobile phones or real estate in the past year said the Internet had at most a minor impact on their purchasing decisions.



Just because online information does not affect most consumers' buying decisions does not mean they are not interested in that information.

More than nine out of 10 online shoppers surveyed who eventually purchased in brick-and-mortar stores used the Internet to research their purchases, according to STORES Magazine's "Favorite 50" study, sponsored by Microsoft and conducted in October 2007 by BIGresearch.