Google: Consumer Behavior

Are there differences between groups of consumers?

According to a study untitled “Search Engine attitudes” from 2004 made on  1649 American users, 98,8% of Internet users are using search engines and among those 98,8% the following configuration can be observed:

Here we have definitely three groups of consumers: 

- Loyal consumers;

- Loyal consumers but loyal to other search engines as well;

- Not loyal; Among the most famous brand in this sector:

Google is the search engine to which Internet users are the most loyal to. This study is even highlighting the fact that 91% of Internet users would modify and re –launch their query if they are unsatisfied by the first three pages of results. So there is once more a certain trust in using a specific search engine. This is moreover a trend which is increasing because in 2002 this rate was fixed at 71%.

“Users tend to have more confidence in their search engine of choice than in their own ability to formulate a query that will return their desired results”. Moreover as in all market we have also the two extremes, on one side the Google aficionados using every services of Google in order to get the best part of it and on the other hand the ones considering Google as evil and going for huge boycott of Google.  

However those two groups may be marginal in terms of volume. Among the mass user population we may have as well a strong division between Internet users which are aware of privacy issues, the one who are and the ones who are but do not care. For example most of adults aware of privacy issues and their risks may be reluctant of giving some personal information on Internet whereas young people seem to care far less about it such as the Facebook phenomenon is illustrating it.