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New York, August 9, 2005 - Industrial buyers have a clear message for the websites they visit in search of products and services: Do Not Disturb. Those who ignore this message face the very real risk of losing large numbers of prospective customers and the sales revenue they represent.
This was the key message revealed in ThomasNet's Industrial Purchasing Barometer Survey released today. ThomasNet (www.ThomasNet.com) is the leader in online sourcing and marketing solutions for industrial buyers and sellers in North America.
"While the Internet saves engineers and purchasing managers a great deal of time and introduces them to a host of new suppliers, it can also expose them to unwanted solicitations from salespeople who obtain their contact information from websites that require registration," said Eileen G. Markowitz, President of ThomasNet. "Businesses that use the Internet to help them market industrial products and services may lose potential customers if they do not respect the privacy online buyers demand."
ThomasNet research shows that 90% of industrial buyers go online first to narrow their list of suppliers before calling them, making the Internet the most powerful and pervasive industrial marketing tool in use today. The ThomasNet Industrial Purchasing Barometer Survey showed that:
- More than three out of four respondents (77%) have a "Don't call us, we'll call you" philosophy online - 56% of respondents do not want vendors to contact them until they have made the initial contact, while 21% do not want to be contacted at all, a tenfold increase over the past three years*.
- Anonymity is a prized commodity - 89% of respondents prefer complete anonymity and virtually all (95%) want information sent only when they request it.
Those who violate buyer's online privacy can expect to be punished by those customers, most of whom leave and never return, forming lasting negative impressions. The survey further revealed that:
- Four out of five respondents (81%) said they would not return, or would be unlikely to return, to a website that reveals their identities to suppliers.
- Nearly half of respondents (46%) indicated they would be less likely to do business with a company that contacts them as a result of information obtained from a site on which they had registered.
- A full 40% of respondents said they would have a negative impression of a company that contacted them that way.
The growing demand for privacy may result from the fact that nearly one in three (31%) respondents reported that a visit to a website for information on industrial products and services resulted in unsolicited calls from salespeople. The negative attitude toward unwanted solicitation also extends to e-mail and online promotions. Respondents noted that:
- An overwhelming 88% of respondents said they do not want unsolicited e-mails or Internet promotions from vendors identified during a search.
- Moreover, 74% actively try to limit the number of such promotions they receive, up from 66% in 2002*.
- Buyers avoid websites that require registration. 68% of respondents indicated that they would either refuse outright to use a site that required registration or would only use it if it guaranteed the privacy of their personal information.
"These survey results reinforce ThomasNet's longstanding commitment to privacy," said Markowitz. "We respect the wishes of our clients - both buyers and sellers. Those who do not respect others' privacy do so at their own risk."
About the ThomasNet Industrial Purchasing Barometer Survey The ThomasNet Industrial Purchasing Barometer Survey was completed by 805 industrial professionals nationwide, including Owners/Executive Managers, Engineers and Purchasing Specialists. The survey was self-administered online over a three-day period in July 2005. * ThomasNet last conducted the Industrial Purchasing Barometer Survey on Privacy issues in 2002.
ABOUT THOMASNETSM
ThomasNet (www.ThomasNet.com) brings together industrial buyers and sellers nationally, regionally, and locally. For industrial buyers, ThomasNet.com is the one-stop destination that enables them to find the exact product, service or supplier they need, at the exact time they need it. Through ThomasNet.com, buyers also have instant access to the detailed information they need to make a purchasing or specifying decision, including line-item product details, supplier product catalogs, CAD drawings, and more. For industrial suppliers, ThomasNet.com delivers powerful Internet marketing solutions that help suppliers grow their business online by not only driving qualified industrial traffic to their websites but converting that traffic into buying customers. ThomasNet's complete range of online catalogs, CAD drawings, and e-commerce solutions help suppliers deliver the detailed information buyers need, want and expect on the web. ThomasNet is part of Thomas Industrial Network, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Thomas Publishing Company, LLC.