Blogs and the Purchasing Decision

One-half of US blog readers surveyed thought blogs were useful for getting information about purchases, according to a BuzzLogic-sponsored study conducted by JupiterResearch.

More than one-half of respondents who had trusted blogs for purchase decisions in the past said the information they found on blogs helped determine when they decided to make a purchase.

"For a portion of Web users, blogs rival search as a navigation tool, which has really interesting implications for advertisers," said Rob Crumpler, CEO of BuzzLogic, in a statement. "Blogs are becoming trusted guides, steering users who are seeking very specific information to places of interest online."

Four out of 10 blog readers surveyed had taken action as a result of viewing a blog ad, and one-half of those who read blogs at least once a month said so.

Some of the actions taken by blog readers based on the information they found were: reading product reviews online (17%), seeking out more information on a product or service (16%) and visiting a manufacturer or retailer Website (16%).

The number of consumers influenced by blogs will rise, based on overall blog readership projections. More than two-thirds of Internet users will read blogs in 2012, up from one-half who did so last year.