Consumers who shop through multiple marketing channels tend to spend more money but generally are less loyal customers, according to survey findings released by Opinion Research Corp.

Multichannel marketing transaction value is growing approximately 30% annually, according Jill Glathar, vice president and director of the market planning and development practice at Opinion Research.

Other findings indicate that multichannel consumers are generally more astute about pricing, which consequently diminishes their loyalty as customers.

Typically companies must spend more money to retain customers through multichannel marketing to gain insights concerning consumer behavior and attitudes, survey findings conclude.

Research has shown that the Internet has evolved from mainly being a product research medium to more of selling channel. Sixty-five percent of consumers surveyed said expect to make purchases from the Web in the future, compared to 42% of consumers who currently do.

Inbound telemarketing is projected to grow. About 21% of consumers presently make purchases by phone, but 39% of those surveyed say they plan to use the telephone more to make purchases in the future.

The survey also found that consumers most actively engage in multichannel marketing purchases with big box retailers, mass merchandise retailers, department stores and restaurants.