Channels used for discovering, researching, and purchasing products globally in 2024

Published by Statista Research Department, Jul 17, 2024

When it came to discovering products in 2024, over half (55 percent) of surveyed consumers preferred visiting stores. Meanwhile, the online marketplace (e.g. Amazon) was the most popular online channel for purchase, and consumers preferred search engines, like Google, for performing product research.

Which of the following channels do you anticipate using for product discovery, research, and purchase?

Characteristic	Discovery	Research	Purchase
Visiting the store in-person	55%	50%	49%
Speaking to sales associates in stores	36%	55%	31%
Social media	40%	50%	21%
Generative AI inquiries (ChatGPT)	24%	36%	-
Search engines (e.g., Google)	46%	62%	21%
News articles & blogs	32%	46%	-
Talking with friends & family	49%	58%	-
Brand websites	45%	58%	29%
Brand apps on iPhone/Android	37%	47%	25%
Chatting with customer service/chatbot	27%	40%	15%
Online marketplaces	40%	51%	37%
Smart home voice assistants	23%	30%	13%
Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR)	21%	29%	-

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Release date

May 2024

More information

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

January and February 2024

Number of respondents

20,662 respondents

Age group

18 years and older

Special properties

consumers across 31 countries and territories

Supplementary notes

Multiple answers were possible.

If a channel shows no results, the activity does not apply.

The source provided additional information regarding the methodology:
"The data in this chart represents a summary view of responses. Consumers were asked about up to two randomised product categories (drawn from the pool of categories that they already expect to spend on in the next six months). The average figures across the ten product categories are shown."

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