Consumers often seek the best value, and price is an important factor in determining purchase - but it's not the only factor, writes MarketingCharts.

Nearly half of online shoppers say they are "somewhat loyal to certain merchants based on a combination of good value, superior service and the right mix of product," according to the just-released DoubleClick Performics/e-tailing group "Consumer Loyalty Survey."

"Seven out of ten consumers shop multiple websites before making an online purchase to find the site offering the best deal," said Stuart Frankel, president of DoubleClick Performics. Consumers want to feel they are getting the best value when buying online, including price, service and product mix, the study found.

Some other key findings from the study:

• 71% of shoppers browse multiple online stores prior to completing a purchase.
• 42% of shoppers price-shop a product via comparison engines.
• 48% of online shoppers surveyed describe their loyalty to merchants across channels (store, web, catalog) as somewhat loyal to certain merchants based on a combination of good value, superior service and the right mix of product.
• 70% belong to a frequent buyer/loyalty program.
• 53% rank discounts or exclusive offers for members as the most important feature of frequent buyer/loyalty programs.

More data is available at MarketingCharts.