21% of technology buyers use search engines for purchasing goods and services

Google surveyed the Internet usage during three stages of technology goods and services procurement: research, comparison and buying. During the research phase respondents use search 30% more frequently than print magazines and trade publications. In the consideration and comparison phase, search engines were used 21% more often than trade publications and magazines, and five times more often than e-mail newsletters. And in the purchase stage, search engines were used by 21% of buyers as their primary resource, with trade publications, content Web sites, and trade shows trailing at roughly 13% each.