New York, NY, July 21, 2008--Wealthy consumers are increasingly turning to the Internet to find the goods and services they need, but some marketers are still missing out, according to a recent report from the Luxury Institute.
The report said that some marketers are likely advertising in the wrong place.
The report said that online search is now only slightly behind the recommendations of friends and family members for wealthy consumers, defined as households with annual income over $150,000.
About 64 percent of wealthy consumers first turn to company/product websites while 57 percent turn to friends and family. Nearly 40 percent of consumers are now turning to search engines for product information.
Hitwise says that Google may be the best bet for luxury marketers. Google accounted for nearly 70% of search queries in June.
However, the group said that marketers should use several search engines to increase the return on investment of campaigns and catch the eye of more consumers.
“Luxury [marketers] are quickly awakening to the power of gateways like Google to drive consumers to their sites,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. “Now is the time to get processes in place to measure the efficacy of various search optimization strategies.”
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Zebra Rugs at Penney Being Recalled
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| Washington, DC, Sept. 12, 2008--About 2,000 JLA Home zebra rugs sold at JC Penney stores are being recalled because they do not meet the federal flammability standard for small rugs and do not have the required flammability warning label. |

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One Measure of Consumer Confidence Spikes Higher
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| New York, NY, Sept. 12, 2008--Consumer confidence has improved heading into fall, due partly to dips in gas prices and excitement over the presidential race, according to the Royal Bank of Canada Consumer Attitudes and Spending by Household Index.
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Texas Invista Plants Closing for Ike
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| Houston, TX, Sept. 12, 2008--Koch Industries subsidiary Invista has begun to shut down temporarily three of its plants in south Texas because of hurricane Ike and told those employees not to report for work today.
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Jobless Claims Higher Than Expected
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| Washington, DC, Sept. 11, 2008-- Initial jobless claims for unemployment insurance were higher than expected last week, while total benefit rolls rose to the highest level in almost five years, according to the Labor Department. |

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Imports, Exports Set Records as Deficit Swells
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| Washington, DC, Sept. 11, 2008--The U.S. trade deficit rose in July to the highest level in 16 months as oil imports hit an all-time high, offsetting strong export growth. The deficit with China climbed to the second highest level on record. |

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Kährs Expanding Plant in Sweden
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| Nybro, Sweden, Sept. 9, 2008--Wood flooring manufacturer Kährs is investing $14.8 million at its Nybro factory in Sweden but will also lay off about 245 employees because of weak market conditions, Timber Industry Magazine reported.
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British Builder Offers Unusual Incentive
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| London, England, Sept. 10, 2008--Barratt Developments PLC, Britain's second-biggest house builder by volume, said that full-year profits fell by 71 percent as the credit crunch depressed sales in the second half. |

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