As the guys at [Crowdstorm](http://blog.crowdstorm.com/?p=210) say...

**It's research time again, folks**

[E-consultancy](http://www.e-consultancy.com/news-blog/363731/consumers-who-research-online-spend-more-offline--report.html) reports that people who do a bit of research online before hitting the high street spend 10% more than those who don't.

Whether this is because they're encouraged by what they see online or tend to be bigger spenders anyway isn't clear, though.

Perhaps most interestingly:

> Some 80% of consumers who research before making a purchase say they ended up buying a brand from their original shortlist, while the rest were influenced in store.

I don't think this rules out shopfloor marketing entirely, but it certainly demonstrates the value of getting things right online.

Of course, if it's shops and restaurants you're looking for, then [SkypeFind](http://www.skype.com/help/guides/skypefind.html) can help you find the answer. Shopping we haven't quite got round to yet, though...