Moms rely heavily on search engines for both online and offline purchases, and when coordinating travel and planning a host of other activities, according to a study unveiled by DoubleClick Performics last week, reports MarketingCharts.

The "Searcher Moms - A Search Behavior and Usage Study" was conducted in cooperation with Microsoft and ROI Research.

"Of the nearly 1,000 moms surveyed, 89 percent use the internet at least twice per day, and 90 percent have been using it for more than seven years," said Stuart Larkins, VP of search for DoubleClick Performics. "A whopping 86 percent of respondents said search engines are the most efficient way to find information."

Regarding moms' media consumption habits, the study found that…

• Respondents spend the most time with the internet and television.

• Three-quarters spend one hour or more per day using both the internet and watching television.
• 76 percent spend one hour or more per day using the internet, and 36 percent spend three or more hours per day.

Among other search-related findings of the study:

• 70 percent use search engines to gather information before making any online purchase.

• 57 percent use search engines to gather information before making any offline purchase.
• 64 percent use search engines to find out where to purchase products offline.

MarketingCharts offers some additional findings from the study.