Majority Of Internet Users Click On Pop-Ups By Mistake
Nine out of ten click-throughs to pop-up adverts on websites occur by accident, in a move that causes mistrust and confusion amongst users, according to the latest research from from Bunnyfoot Universality.
A new paper released by the online consultancy surveyed more than 60 web users across the UK to find that around that 90% of click-throughs to a pop-up ad for a ‘leading UK brand’ were made by mistake.
The brand in question claimed a 20% click-through rate for the campaign, but the research carried out by Bunnyfoot suggests the actual success rate is closer to 2%.
The testing, conducted in June this year, revealed that users took almost a minute to close the pop-up in a discovery which highlights the difficulty internet users experience when trying to avoid what has become one of the most disposed forms of online advertising.
The research shows that many brands are now resorting to underhand tactics to get users clicking onto their ads, including hiding the close button or making ads difficult to navigate to encourage click-throughs. Bunnyfoot claims brands who use these strategies are wasting money by paying for inaccurate click-throughs and possibly causing mistrust and frustration in users.
Rob Stevens, head of business behaviour at Bunnyfoot, said: “Trickery and confusing design in pop-over adverts is becoming an alarmingly increasing trend. Achieving an over-inflated click-through rate might help brands to justify their spend, but they are only deceiving themselves.”
Recent research from Bunnyfoot found that internet users have learnt to almost completely ignore the existence of pop-up advertising, which they view as a major cause of irritation. The study claimed that pop-ups are ineffective in providing return on investment for companies looking to build long-term value into their brands (see Internet Users Completely Ignore Pop-Up Advertising).
Earlier this year MSN announced plans to become the first major online media owner to react to consumer demands by bringing an end to selling pop-up advertising on its network of websites. MSN claims the removal of the formats represents a natural step in the evolution of the online advertising market (see MSN Bans Pop-Up Advertising Across Entire Network).Bunnyfoot Universality: 01235 838 514 www.bunnyfoot.com
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