Troy, NY – (Business Wire) – 11/18/2008 – Engineering, technical and industrial professionals continue to rely on the Internet for work, according to results of the recent GlobalSpec Engineering Trends Survey. This seventh annual study surveyed GlobalSpec's registered user base of engineering, technical, industrial and manufacturing professionals to determine Internet usage patterns.

Twenty-one percent of respondents reported spending over 12 hours per week online for work-related purposes. Thirty-three percent indicate that they spend at least nine hours online weekly. And the Internet has become crucial to performing key work-related tasks: 83 percent of respondents have used the Internet to find components and suppliers, and 81 percent go online to obtain product specifications. In addition, 79 percent use the Internet to conduct research, 67 percent to request a price quote, and 66 percent to compare products across suppliers.

This audience also uses a wide variety of online resources for work. According to respondents, seven of the top 10 most valuable resources for searching for products and services are online resources, including search engines, supplier Web sites, online trade publications, and e-newsletters. Seventy-four percent of respondents indicate visiting six or more work-related Web sites per week, with 20 percent visiting 20 or more. Additionally, 59 percent use multiple search engines for work.

Results of the survey also indicate that an online presence encourages industrial professionals to take action. Eighty-eight percent of respondents stated that they have contacted a supplier after visiting a Web site, and 51 percent ordered samples. This audience also takes action as a result of seeing an online advertisement: 87 percent have visited the advertiser's Web site and 56 percent have e-mailed the advertiser.

Additional findings from the GlobalSpec Annual Engineering Trends Survey 2008 include:

• Search engines, supplier Web sites and GlobalSpec are the three most frequently used resources for searching for products and services
• Fifty-two percent of respondents reported viewing a video clip as a result of visiting a Web site for work purposes

Access the survey results at: http://www.globalspec.com/wp/GlobalSpec_Annual_Engineering_Trends_Survey_2008

About GlobalSpec, Inc.
GlobalSpec, Inc. is the leading specialized vertical search, information services and e-publishing company serving the engineering, technical and industrial communities. GlobalSpec users benefit from domain-expert search engines, a broad range of proprietary and aggregated Web-based content, including GlobalSpec's PartFinderSM product, and more than 60 e-newsletters – helping them search for and locate products and services, learn about suppliers and access comprehensive technical content. SpecSearch®, GlobalSpec's trademarked search technology, allows users to search by specification more than 180 million parts in 2,300,000 product families from more than 24,000 supplier catalogs. For suppliers, GlobalSpec offers highly filtered sales and marketing opportunities, product promotion and brand advertising platforms, including the GlobalSpec Industrial Ad Network, and a wide range of e-media advertising and marketing solutions.

GlobalSpec, SpecSearch, The Engineering Search Engine and The Engineering Web are registered trademarks of GlobalSpec, Inc.

Contact:
GlobalSpec Marketing
E-mail: marketing@globalspec.com

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