marinsoftware.com The Online-to-Offline Search Marketing Playbook Online Search Drives More Offline Sales Search marketing influences decisions at every stage of the consumer’s journey. When people go from inspiration to purchase, they depend on search engines to find and research a product they’ll eventually buy. Consumers today are constantly shifting between shopping channels. That research period gives search advertisers a lot of leverage on the web, eventually driving incremental offline sales. According to Google, 30% of people who visit a website or app on their smartphone end up purchasing something in a physical store within 24 hours. In addition, 7 in 10 smartphone owners who make in-store purchases take relevant action on their phone prior to purchase. The actions people take to address their needs Search engine 40% Visited a retailer website or app 19% Visited another website or app 19% Visited a store or other location 15% Used a map 12% Looked at images or photos on a site or app 10% Asked someone via a call, 8% online messenger, or text message Watched an online video 6% Used social media 6% Connected with a business 6% In a separate report by eMarketer, some 90% of retail purchases are still made offline. While that share is set to steadily decrease, a radical shift won’t happen anytime soon—it’s forecasted that in 2023, 85% of retail purchases will still be made offline.