Both Google Maps and Windows Live Local have “click to call” (not yet PPCall) embedded now in their products. And several Internet yellow pages are using it. But there’s some debate and confusion about whether it’s a truly meaningful feature. Not surprisingly, eStara (a click to call vendor), has put out a press release showing the benefits of the service, according to a recently conducted survey among 1,400 IYP click to call users:
Among the chief findings were that 84 percent of users said they were “more likely” to contact a business with click to call than one without the service, while 80 percent indicated the service enhanced their IYP experience. IYP visitors are using click to call for a number of reasons:
– 14 percent used it to make a purchase;
– 28 percent to schedule an appointment or reservation;
– 33 percent used click to call to get more information about a product or service.
These are persusaive numbers. But I’ve heard many times from click to call critics that it requires “a change in consumer behavior” and is thus awkward and not widely used.
I have not directly conducted any research and so I’m often in the middle of these “he said, she said” discussions about its efficacy. I’m curious about others’ opinions, data and experiences.
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Greg Sterling is the founding principal of Sterling Market Intelligence, a consulting and research firm focused on online consumer and advertiser behavior and the relationship between the Internet and traditional media, with an emphasis on the local marketplace.
