Now that you’ve moved beyond thinking e-commerce is a trend, it’s time to look at how to improve your online presence. comScore conducted a research study, co-sponsored by iProspect, focused on how retail shoppers use search and the importance of search position online.

“We’ve witnessed retailers getting better at providing a robust on-site search experience. It makes sense that consumers have come to rely upon the rich information provided by retail sites and that marketers embrace this new reality,” said John Federman, president and CEO of Searchandise Commerce.

“We wanted to better understand how retail site search worked as a complement to search engines, and we’ve now quantified our assumptions about the value and the ways retail on-site search mirrors search engine marketing. In both, attaining top position in search results is key to winning a higher share of clicks and sales.”

The report, which included more than 1,100 respondents who had recently researched, browsed, or purchased computers or consumer electronics, covered site search trends and what consumers expect. Less clutter and ease of use led the pack. Consumers don’t want pop-ups or ads displayed, pricing and product information should be clearly listed, and product comparison tools should be provided.

As far as where shoppers start the process:

• 2/3 of shoppers begin their process online
• 1 in 5 start at a retail website. These consumers typically purchase directly on the retail site or go to a manufacturer site for more details and then visit a search engine or physical store.
• 1 in 10 start at a physical store
• 18% begin by visiting a search engine. 37% of those consumers turn to a retail site next.
• 3% start their search by consulting a blog or social networking site

“This study makes one thing clear: Search engines and retail websites are the first places consumers turn to when they are ready to shop, whether they are looking for a new laptop, a toaster, or a camera. And they are tapping into search engines to find more than just a retailer’s product page from their website; they are searching for customer and expert reviews, competitive pricing, and third party product recommendations,” said Robert Murray, CEO of iProspect.

“Given that, marketers simply cannot afford to have their offerings fail to show up in the search results. To remain competitive, they must have a holistic search strategy that understands and addresses a variety of information for all of the products they sell, including specific brands, prices, makes, models, features, and functionalities. In other words, marketers need to ensure that all of this information is represented in a compelling way in the organic and paid search results.”

The complete report, including charts and marketing recommendations, can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/ResearchReport.