Interesting Results
Banner Advertising Influences Internet Purchases
A recent study provides evidence that banner advertising influences online purchases, although perhaps not exactly as some might expect. The number of ads people saw for a Web site influenced the likelihood of them subsequently purchasing from the site, but not all of these purchases involved clicking through from the banner ad and making an immediate purchase. Some purchases were made later, suggesting that the banner ad provided a reminder about the site or enhanced its brand image and that in turn lead to an eventual purchase. The research also showed that seeing a banner ad on a variety of sites increased the likelihood of purchase while seeing a variety of versions of a banner ad reduced the likelihood of purchase.