Nearly six-in-ten adults (58%) have done research online about the products and services they buy, and about a quarter (24%) have posted comments or reviews online about the things they buy.

On a typical day, 21% of adults search for product information online. This is an increase from 15% in 2007 and 9% in 2004.

The share of adults who report having at least occasionally conducted product or service research online has also increased – from 49% in 2004 to 58% in 2010.

The 2010 data come from a telephone survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project conducted between August 9 and September 13, 2010. The survey was administered to a sample of 3,001 adults, age 18 and older, using a combination of landline and cellular telephones. Interviews were conducted in English or Spanish. The sample margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points for the general population and plus or minus 2.9 percentage points for internet users (n=2,065).

Among internet users, 78% say that they at least occasionally conduct product research and 32% report that they have posted online product comments.