Internet Provides Significant Source Of Product Information For CAD/CAM Managers

London, UK - 30 September 2002 - Three quarters of CAD/CAM managers operating within the mechanical engineering sector use the Internet to research CAD/CAM hardware or software product information, according to recent research conducted by The Business Advantage Group Plc.

These findings concerning the usage of the Internet to search for product information were the result of research conducted in August 2002 with managers responsible for CAD/CAM functions at 252 UK-based mechanical engineering sites. The sample was taken from Business Advantage's database of 20,000 UK CAD/CAM user sites.

The research also found that:

* A quarter of CAD/CAM managers use the Internet to research CAD/CAM product information more than once a week.

* Of those who do use the Internet to carry out product searches (base:190) 

- three quarters use a general search engine (half of this group use Google, a fifth use Yahoo, and one in twenty use Altavista).

- one in ten use an industry and/or technology 'portal' or gateway site

- just over two in five visit the site of a known supplier.

* Eight per cent of those who use the Internet for product research purposes have actually ordered CAD/CAM related software or hardware on-line (6% of the overall sample) in the last 12 months.

Chris Turner, Managing Director of The Business Advantage Group Plc, observes: "Half of managers of CAD/CAM related functions in the mechanical engineering sector are looking on the Internet for product information at least once every two months. This is confirmation, if any were needed, of the importance for all suppliers of having websites that point people quickly to the information they need (indeed, some recent research we carried out revealed that 11% of UK CAD/CAM resellers do not have websites).

Over a quarter of the managers we interviewed said they use Google to find product information. With the art of search engine optimisation being something of a hit and miss affair, it would be interesting to know what proportion of suppliers actively attempt to improve their rankings, and the benefits they accrue from doing so."

The full report, entitled 'Web Searchers' including colour charts, can be read free of charge at: http://www.business-advantage.co.uk/cs/issue21/esearch.htm

 

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