Google Is Much More Important Than Facebook For Purchasing Decisions

As Facebook grows, one concern for Google is that users could eventually turn away from traditional search and instead ask their friends for advice and answers. So far, that's not happening according to the chart above from Bank Of America Merrill Lynch. When consumers want to research buying something, Google is still the primary option. Only 1% of 418 people surveyed say they ask friends on Facebook about the product. It's not in this chart, but BofA also says only 3% of Facebook users say they use Google less thanks to Facebook. (17% say they're using it more thanks to Facebook.) Of course, the real long term risk to Google is that Facebook has a trove of important data which it can not access. But, for these other concerns the data from BofA provides some relief for Google. And for Facebook, this chart isn't bad news, either. It's still a place where users hang out and can be influenced by display advertising. Read »