Whats the deal with “ROPO”?

by michaeltomlinson

So what actually is “ROPO,” just a bunch of interestingly arranged letters that mean little to the marketing sector? The answer is simply – NO!

ROPO is in fact becoming increasingly important  to businesses throughout the world. It stands for “Research online, purchase offline.” This is the modern process that increasing numbers of consumers are now undertaking prior to purchasing a product. Unlike previous generations online marketing has led many customers to use the internet as a tool to allow for comparison between similar products and services.

A study by Gfk and Google across five sectors reveals the value of ROPO. Results of the study have shown that “40% of offline buyers have conducted online research prior to purchase.”

So what does this all mean for companies?

The results show a strong indication that businesses need to integrate on and offline activity to take advantage of the ROPO effect. For example the ways in which consumers search for products is strongly influenced by what they remember during offline periods. This ties in strongly to Google adword campaigns, whereby focus is placed strongly on keywords of a search topic (The keywords that are recollected by the consumer which they have discovered during their offline process).

It is therefore important, due to the increasing ROPO effect, for companies to not only use their advertising as a tool to sell their products to customers, but also businesses should look to place their brand in the mind of the consumer. Therefore when the consumer begins their online process of comparing products they recognise and recall your brand within the specific search.

* For more on the “ROPO effect” and an interesting case study on how Expedia are attempting to use it for successful gains read the following article “Joining the search” available at: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/strategies-and-tactics/digital-strategy/joining-the-search/3033388.article *