A recent article on Search Engine Land reported comScore conducted an online survey that showed how the Internet is driving offline retail transactions in increasing numbers.

Utilizing 3,000 respondents, the survey sought to capture consumer attitudes and behavior toward traditional local media (print yellow pages) and local search. Apart from revealing the accelerating growth of local search usage, other noteworthy findings include:

82% of Local Searchers follow up offline via an in-store visit, phone call, or purchase, emphasizing the importance for marketers to integrate their on and offline information. Of these, 61% made purchases.
33% of all consumers still consider print yellow pages as their primary source of local business info, and 90% feel it’s valuable because it gives more information such as accurate phone numbers.
The LS business grew 20% this year, 40% faster than general searches on Google, Yahoo, MSN and others.
Internet Yellow Page and local searchers are savvy and fairly affluent.

The print yellow pages also showed strength in the study. As indicated, it was the preferred medium for local business information among 33 percent of users, which is striking given that this was an online panel and, one would imagine, biased toward Internet usage, wrote Greg Sterling in his Screenworks blog.

Sterling also added that although traditional media no longer has the control and influence it once did, they are far from being marginalized. Stay tuned!