There's an interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal (flagged up in Internet Retailing) on some new research showing the growing importance of the 'info shopper'.
Basically this is someone who is reluctant to make a purchase offline without thoroughly researching it online.
The research suggests that this 'research-first' mentality is creeping into an ever-broader range of goods - from cars to electrical goods to white goods.
There's a remarkable statistic that 92% of respondents trust the information they get online more than the information they get on the high street or anywhere else. Advertising gets a bit of a battering as well, with 78% of people saying that ads no longer contain the information they need.
Bricks and mortar retailers have of course had a dismal Christmas - but this research suggests that the recession is only partly to blame. A more deep seated problem is the failure to give this new breed of shopper what they need.
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