Benefits of Advertising Online: 9 New Statistical Facts About Consumer Behavior

At Digital Delane, we get a lot of questions about the benefits of advertising online. We get it— as a small business or start-up, you want to make sure every dollar is working hard to get your business off the ground. You have to spend on your product inventory or equipment, overhead, hiring employees, and a million other expenses.

Can’t advertising online wait?

The short answer is no.

Simply put, we’re living in a digital world now. Your customers are online. They’re using Google, websites, social media, and apps to find and buy what they need or search for services. If you’re not advertising online, you may as well be invisible to your target audience.

The good news is, you don’t have to be a Fortune 500 company with deep pockets to start advertising online. There are no barriers to entry, and the potential benefits are exponential.

Eye-Opening Statistics About Online Advertising

If you’re not familiar with digital marketing, it’s hard to care about jargon like Google Ads, SEO, email marketing, and analytics.

So let’s use language that works better for businesses: data. Here’s a quick look at online advertising by the numbers:

• 49% of people use their phones to shop.
• By 2021, mobile is expected to drive 53% of all sales, dominating all other sales channels.
• 65% of people compare products online even when they’re physically inside a store. 51% of them change their mind while shopping and buy from another company.
• In the US alone, online sales are expected to hit $740 billion as early as 2023.
• 75% of people shop online at least once a month.
• 63% of shopping journeys — which include finding a product/company up to the actual purchase — begins online.
• The most important factor for 90% of online shoppers is how easy it is to find a product.
• The 2nd most important factor for online shoppers is online reviews.
• Only 66% of small businesses are running an online advertising campaign.

What These Stats Mean for Your Business

• Your customers are looking for you online.
• They will use the internet to find products and services like yours.
• Online shoppers spend a lot of money on companies with an online presence.
• Many small businesses still don’t have a website. This is a tremendous opportunity, especially if your competition hasn’t started online advertising yet.
• Online advertising is not a passing trend– it’s now a requirement for modern businesses like yours.

In short, without an online advertising strategy, you’re going to get left behind.

What is the benefit of advertising online for shoppers?

Clearly, online advertising is not just good for business. It’s absolutely essential. But why do people prefer shopping on the internet in the first place? This is an important question. The more you understand your potential customers, the better you can deliver what they need.

These are just a few of the many reasons why the number of online shoppers just keeps rising:

They have access to a huge selection of products and services online.

Physical stores tend to have limited stocks. In addition, it’s hard to find a single brick-and-mortar store that carries everything a shopper is looking for. Going online lets them browse countless products, brands, and companies without having to get up from the couch.

It’s convenient and saves time.

One of the top benefits of online shopping is how convenient it is. Fire up Google, Amazon, or Facebook on your phone or laptop, type what you need, and check out available results. No driving, no dressing up, no wasting time calling off work or abandoning your chores just to buy what you need.

They can buy rare products.

Internet shopping gets rid of geographical boundaries. If a particular item is not available in your country, for instance, you can buy it abroad and have it shipped to your home. It’s also a great way to find niche or rare items.

No lines plus easy shipping and delivery options.

When you’re shopping online, you can avoid crowds completely. You can check out anytime you want, and it only takes a few minutes. You can also have it delivered straight to your door.

They can read honest reviews without sales pressure.

Most online shoppers nowadays read reviews before buying anything or hiring a contractor. This helps them make informed decisions about where to spend their money. Because of this, taking care of your reviews is a critical part of a good digital marketing strategy.

What are the advantages of online advertising for businesses?

Bottom line is, people love shopping online whether it is for products or services, and this is not a passing trend. It’s a consumer behavior that’s here to stay. Businesses should quickly adapt and be where their customers are — the internet.

The other side of this coin bears good news. Online advertising offers tremendous benefits to the business as well:

You reach the right customers with high search intent.

When consumers search online for products or services, chances are they already are in a buying or hiring mode.  Offline advertising such as billboards, TV, flyers, etc is like targeting without any aim. It is nearly impossible to laser-target your audience and measure with precision the way digital advertising does.

It is less expensive than other marketing methods.

Cost-effectiveness, which is a benefit of advertising online, is one of the top reasons why businesses should invest in paid media advertising. It costs a fraction of what traditional marketing tools do, such as TV ads, printing out and sending brochures, and newspaper advertisements. In fact, you can get listed in many digital business directories for free.

You can measure and track how your digital marketing campaign is doing.

A critical benefit of advertising on the internet is providing concrete and measurable results. Most digital marketing tools like Google ads, social media campaigns, and email marketing come with analytics and data.

For instance, they can tell you exactly how much traffic your marketing campaign is bringing to your site. Digital marketers can monitor every click on your Google ads, how many people open the marketing emails you send, and exactly how many likes on Facebook a specific ad brings.

In addition, internet marketing data can also tell you if your advertising campaigns are actually reaching your target audience. Is your online marketing budget bringing in customers? Does your ad campaign need better targeting? Being able to track and measure data, and therefore improve your campaigns as they run, will help you maximize every marketing dollar.

You can easily expand your business worldwide.

Want to expand your services worldwide? Easily doable with digital marketing! Unlike conventional marketing methods, your marketing campaign doesn’t have to be limited by your location anymore.

Another key benefit of digital marketing is targeting global consumers easily. With today’s worldwide shipping options and digital payment processors, it’s a breeze to expand your operations all over the world.

You can reach your audience 24/7.

The internet never sleeps, and neither does effective online marketing. Your Google ad can appear on a search engine anytime. A sponsored tweet on Twitter is always visible. Potential customers can see the promo you’re running on your Facebook ad campaign anytime they want. You can literally attract new leads and interested consumers around the clock, which is a massive benefit of advertising online.

You can respond to any customer concern right away.

Internet advertising services go beyond marketing online with Google ads, driving organic traffic, or putting the spotlight on your brand. It also includes effective customer service.

When people have a question or problem with your business, they can send you a message in different ways like through your social media pages, email, and website. In turn, you can offer help ASAP, which helps you take care of your customers. As a result, not only do you get to ensure customer satisfaction, but you can also improve your reputation at the same time.

Supercharge Your Business with Digital Delane

Ready to reap all the benefits of advertising online? As a full-service digital advertising agency, Digital Delane will craft customized strategies to grow your business and your brand.

Our internet advertising services include everything from professional web design to branding, SEO, email marketing, social media, paid search, and more.

In addition, we work with businesses of all sizes, from SMBs to startups and global giants like Toyota and Lionsgate. No matter your business goals, trust us to bring you smart and effective solutions using today’s best and latest advertising strategies.

Let’s talk growth — drop us a line, and we’ll get back to you ASAP!