• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, January 30, 2012

Visitors to CPG brand Web sites buy 37% more in retail stores than non-visitors to the brand sites. That’s according to a new study from Accenture, comScore and dunnhumbyUSA, which attempts to shed light on the link between marketers’ on- and offline efforts.

“CPG marketers currently invest millions of dollars in their brand Web sites ...,” said comScore Vice President Mike Zeman. “Brand Web sites can attract and influence the behavior of the most valuable segments of any brand's franchise.”

Yet as Zeman explains, brands can follow specific steps to strengthen the impact of their digital efforts on offline purchases. He says it is vital for sites to be "highly engaging if they are to attract a meaningful number of visitors."

The benefits, he says, are tangible. Marketers that succeed "stand to gain an attractive return by growing their brands' sales in retail stores."

For maximum impact, brands should update their online content regularly, making sure it contains value messaging that engages consumers while providing compelling reasons to purchase products at retail.

The study found that visitors to CPG brand Web sites are valuable and frequent buyers of the brand in retail stores -- completing 41% more transactions than non-visitors. As a result, brand Web sites are able to attract heavier-than-average brand buyers.

Web site visitors are also heavier buyers within a brand's product category -- spending 53% more category dollars than non-visitors, according to the research.

“Since site visitors have higher affinity to the brand and the overall product category, there is an opportunity for brand marketers to drive loyalty through personalizing the Web site experience, catering to the preferences of their best customers," said John LaRocca, vice president of strategic partnerships at dunnhumbyUSA.

The length of time that visitors spend on a brand's Web site was found to be a key determinant of their likelihood to buy the brand in retail stores.

The study was based on an integrated panel of 1 million U.S. Internet users who gave comScore explicit permission to have their online activities continuously measured and matched to their in-store brand-buying behavior, provided by dunnhumbyUSA.