Nearly two-thirds (65%) of consumers surveyed say they referenced print or Internet Yellow Pages when looking for local business information in the previous month, according to a study by the Yellow Pages Association.
Search engines were the second-most popular resource among consumers seeking local business information (58%), followed by flyers/coupons (38%), newspapers (33%), and magazines (14%), the study found.
Below, other findings from the Local Media Tracking Study, conducted by Burke for the Yellow Pages Association (YPA).
In total, consumers referenced print and Internet Yellow Pages 16.9 billion times in 2009. Of those references, print accounted for 12.0 million—54% of references.
Internet Yellow Pages accounted for 4.9 billion references during the year (33%), up 6.5% from 4.6 billion in 2008.
Yellow Pages Still Maintain Consumer Trust
More than two-thirds of consumers (67%) say print or Internet Yellow Pages are the sources they trust most for finding local business information, compared with 33% who cite search engines.
Regarding accuracy of local business information, print and Internet Yellow Pages again fared better (68%) than search engines (32%).
Greater Reach, Frequency in Fourth Quarter
More consumers referenced print and Internet Yellow pages—and at greater frequencies—in the fourth quarter of 2009 than they did in the first quarter:
- 57.6% of consumers said they used print Yellow pages in the fourth quarter, up 12% from 51.5% in the first quarter.
- The frequency of print Yellow Pages use grew 19% from the first quarter (0.93 references per week per adult) to the fourth quarter (1.11 references).
- Internet Yellow Pages recorded even sharper growth: 37.9% of consumers said they used Internet Yellow pages in the fourth quarter, up 20% from the 31.6% in the first quarter.
- The frequency of Internet Yellow Pages use grew 24% from the first quarter (0.54 references per week per adult) to the fourth quarter (0.67 references).
Other findings from the YPA study:
- Print Yellow Pages are less popular among those age 18-24 and more popular among rural consumers.
- Internet Yellow Pages reach ranked highest among consumers under age 55 and are most popular among suburban consumers.
About the data: Findings are from the first annual Local Media Tracking Study, conducted by Burke for the Yellow Pages Association, among 8,062 consumers polled in 2009, 80% via online panels and 20% via telephone. A separate comScore study evaluated total use of Internet Yellow pages in 2009.
