comScore | Internet Marketing Blog

As back-to-school spending decreases, online marketing matters even more

The end of the summer is usually a high point for retailers. But it's mid-August and registers have not been ringing at their usual rate. In fact, back-to-school revenues are the lowest they've been in over a decade.

That spells bad news for the 2009 economy. But if there's one thing that is becoming more important in the moving of consumer goods, it is online marketing.

by Meghan Keane 17 August 2009 23:09pm 3 comments

Microsoft and comScore: the click of death for the click-through?

The click-through is arguably the most powerful metric on the internet. It is largely the criteria upon which many online ad campaigns are judged and a billion-dollar economy has been built upon it.

But is the click-through really all it's cracked up to be? Sure, it works well when you're doing direct response advertising. But what about brand advertising?

by Patricio Robles 31 July 2009 12:09pm 2 comments

Bringing the reign of click-throughs to an end

Banner ads aren't going down without a fight. Marketers and publishers have been hearing for awhile that display ads are not nearly as effective as search. And in terms of click through rates, they aren't.

But just because people aren't clicking on banner ads, it doesn't mean they aren't working. That's long been the cry of display ad sellers, and now comScore has come out with a study that shows how display contributes to sales, even if consumers aren't immediately clicking through to purchase.

by Meghan Keane 19 June 2009 21:32pm 1 comment

5 reasons Google should worry about Bing

Google commands a dominant share of the search market and there's no sign that this will change anytime soon.

But should it be worried about Microsoft's recently-launched 'decision engine', Bing?

by Patricio Robles 19 June 2009 09:13am 12 comments

Bing is off to a good start: comScore

In the first week following the launch of its new 'decision engine', Bing, Microsoft's search property saw its average daily penetration amongst searchers grow by 1.7% and its share of search results pages grow by 2%.

That's according to comScore, which, like so many others, has been monitoring Bing's debut.

by Patricio Robles 10 June 2009 10:40am 0 comments

Twitter hasn't sold yet, but a popular Twitter account has

According to comScore, traffic to Twitter surged in March to nearly 10m uniques, up a whopping 131% in a single month, driven in large part by middle-aged users. Twitter's remarkable growth has everyone speculating about a possible acquisition.

Facebook made an offer, but it was turned down. And recently rumors have been circulating that Google might have an interest in the microblogging startup.

by Patricio Robles 16 April 2009 08:59am 2 comments

Consumers heart online coupons

With all of the talk about social media and Marketing 2.0, it's easy to overlook less exciting marketing tools. Like coupons.

But make no mistake about it: coupons are in vogue as consumers look for every opportunity to save money. That means business is good for players in the online coupon industry.

by Patricio Robles 08 April 2009 10:05am 2 comments

Mobile internet stats round up

Research firm comScore released some stats on iPhone usage in the UK this week, finding that 93% of iPhone owners accessed mobile media in January, much higher than the average for smartphones.

I've come across a few other stats on mobile internet usage and mobile commerce recently, so I've rounded some of them up to coincide with the release of the latest version of our Internet Statistics Compendium.

by Graham Charlton 27 March 2009 12:16pm 0 comments

The mobile internet really does exist: comScore

If you cry wolf too many times, people are apt to dismiss you. The mobile internet is the boy who cried wolf.

For years, many have predicted its rapid rise, and massive revenues. Yet by in large we've all been disappointed. Year after year new developments have been made but a mobile internet that's as important as many believed it would be hasn't shown up.

by Patricio Robles 16 March 2009 14:43pm 1 comment

ComScore's State of the U.S. Online Retail Economy

ecommerce growth vs eyar ago In chart after chart, the numbers kept falling off a cliff. In delivering ComScore's "State of the U.S. Online Retail Economy through January 2009" report today, Chairman Gian Fulgoni didn't mince words. His references kept returning to the fact that the numbers have never looked this bad.

But ecommerce could be worse. A lot worse. It could look like traditional retail.

ComScore's panel (rather than survey) data indicate a drop in year-over-year online shopping in the critical fourth quarter of 2008, "The first time we have seen a decline in the eight years that we have been tracking quarterly," noted Fulgoni grimly. Any bumps in spending he attributes to an increase in gift card redemption - rather than actual buying - over the holiday season.

Spending drops were greatest more or less where you'd expect. Luxury goods were hit hard, as was entertainment spending. But there was also a steep 30 percent decline in spending in sectors such as office supplies as businesses cut back their budgets.

by Rebecca Lieb 19 February 2009 19:22pm 0 comments