US Partners Study Online/Off-line Brand Link

In the US comScore, dunnhumbyUSA and Accenture have partnered to study the link between consumers' usage of brand web sites and their in-store brand buying behavior.

Their research will be based on a panel of one million US Internet users who have given comScore explicit permission to have their online behavior continuously measured and matched to dunnhumbyUSA's in-store brand buying data from 60 million US households.

This panel will provide a single source of data that contains each panelist's online activities and their in-store buying patterns.

For participating CPG (consumer packaged goods) brands, the study aims to deliver both brand-specific and general industry-level insights. It will examine areas such as the value of specific brand web sites as measured by the in-store brand buying of consumers visiting those sites, and whether features (coupons, recipes, social tools etc) on brand web sites correlate with high engagement among brand buyers.

The trio will also aim to uncover the common components of the most successful CPG brand web sites; and details about the lifestyles, interests, and passions of specific brand buyers as measured by their favourite online activities.

'The aim of this important study is to quantify the retail value of the visitors to various brand websites, identify the most valuable content that can be provided on the site, and provide actionable insights into where else on the Internet marketers can best reach their brand buyers and prospects,' explained comScore Chairman, Gian Fulgoni.

This research is being conducted with the endorsement of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), with the results to be presented in Spring 2011.

Web sites: www.comscore.com , www.dunnhumby.com and www.accenture.com .