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Press
Release
Google Lacks Awareness Among Chinese Internet
Users
- Pearl Research Publishes Report on Chinese
Youth Search Engine Preferences
Please contact us at 415-738-7660 or email research (at) pearlresearch.com
for a sample of the report. Download
the table of contents here.
San Francisco, CA, January 17, 2008 – Based
on interviews with the Chinese youth demographic, Google continues to
struggle with lower user awareness, compared to Chinese search engine
Baidu. These findings are contained in consulting firm Pearl Research’s
new report “Baidu vs. Google: A Study of Search Engine Preferences
among Chinese Youth.”
“I believe that Google will continue to face challenges in competing
with Baidu in the Chinese search engine market. Baidu’s lead is
mostly a result of its Chinese brand, early market entry, strong entertainment
functions and other youth-friendly features. However, many of our panel
believed that Google offers a robust product with more relevant and
precise search results.” said Allison Luong, Managing Director
of Pearl Research.
Key findings of the report:
- Google is thought of as a foreign service which is not as
suitable for Chinese searches
Our interviews indicate that many Chinese youth chose to use Baidu over
Google because they believe Baidu is a domestic product and thus should
be better at indexing Chinese content.
- Baidu’s strong multimedia entertainment search bolsters
its popularity
Compared to Google, our panel indicated it is more convenient to locate
multimedia content such as MP3 downloads on Baidu. The strong entertainment
search function is one of the key factors for Baidu’s popularity
over Google as more than 60% of the survey respondents listed music
downloads as their main reason to go online.
- Baidu is a more recognizable name than Google
Baidu’s earlier entry into the Chinese search engine market and
higher visibility via partnerships and software add-ons has made it
a challenge for Google to gain users despite a number of brand-localizing
strategies.
- Google has built strong brand loyalty with its users due
to its robust information search capabilities
On the other hand, Pearl Research believes Google’s robust search
capability enhances its ability to retain users better than Baidu. Google
users showed strong loyalty to the search engine, commenting on the
depth and precision of the results returned. Some of our panel switched
to Google after unsatisfactory results from Baidu.
The study is part of Pearl Research’s Phoenix Generation series
of report on Chinese youth. This exclusive study is based on Chinese
consumer insight gleaned from 40 one-on-one interviews and a 450-person
survey. To acquire a copy of the report or to request a briefing, please
contact us at 415-738-7660 or email research (at) pearlresearch.com.
About Pearl Research
Pearl Research, a business intelligence and consulting firm, specializes
in the Internet and digital entertainment market with a special focus
on emerging markets and platforms. Based in San Francisco and China,
Pearl Research publishes in-depth research reports and provides customized
research and consulting services. For more information, please visit
http://ww.pearlresearch.com or http://www.redlinechina.com
Contact
Pearl Research
pr (at) pearlresearch.com
PH: 415-738-7660 ext. 4
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