Roll over, John Kerry, and tell Oprah Winfrey the news: More of the public trusts the Internet than trusts you, if they're looking to make major buys these days.
When it comes to making what are considered major life purchase decisions and referrals – a home, a car, a major appliance – it looks like the Internet knows best, other than a spouse, to more people now than before, according to a Harris Interactive study commissioned by consumer service portal Reply.
The study's findings showed those responding felt better buying a used car in cyberspace than from either Kerry or the man he would unseat, President Bush, not to mention Winfrey, comedienne/daytime TV host Ellen DeGeneres, or even the Father of His Country. (That's George Washington, in case you had forgotten.) On the other hand, the survey said you'd rather buy one from Oprah, Bush, Jay Leno, or Tom Hanks than from Donald Trump or Martha Stewart.
"Other than their spouses, people seek advice from the Internet before any other source," Reply chief executive Payam Zamani said, announcing the study. "People don't just turn to the Web for small purchases like CDs and books anymore. They trust the Web as an essential referral source for making major purchases such as homes, cars, and loans."
But Internet watchers caution not to confuse doing homework on making a big buy with actually making a big buy. "They may do their research on the Net," said one adult Internet worker who asked not to be identified, "but they don't purchase [as heavily] on the Net. The Internet is the Ultimate Library. The Net is easier to access – instant information – and it's on everyone's desk at work. It's simply more accessible."
The study, which covered 2,245 adult Netizens, also determined the Web has become more popular a referral for such buying than parents, close friends, knowledgeable professionals, the news media, and religious figures.
Finding a more trusted referral was more important to 63 percent of those surveyed, the same percentage that said the Internet was an important, very important, or extremely important information source. And a whopping 86 percent of the "Trusted Sources" respondents said they returned to Websites that had previously provided good referrals and experience.
Zamani said the survey results underscore what Reply.com experiences daily. "People now routinely turn to the Internet to make the most important of purchase decisions," he said. "Consumers have used [us] as a referral source to more than 12,000 trusted professionals in real estate; automobiles; financing; home improvement; and more."
