According to a survey of online moms by review site EXPO and highlighted by eMarketer, online moms doing product research trust consumer reviews and descriptions nearly 12 times more than that of manufacturer descriptions.
Findings from the survey:
- 92% of moms trust the description provided by consumer reviews over manufacturer descriptions
- More than 80% of moms say word of mouth from friends and family influences their purchase decisions
- 64% of respondents had watched a user-generated video review, and more than three-quarters of that group said it helped them make a purchase decision
- Nearly 50% of respondents had uploaded user-generated videos, and 35% of those were about products and brands — and of those who hadn’t, 90% said they would do so
Learn more: eMarketer
In a study using their own data, SocialTwist — makers of referral widgets — found that 59% of all shares were done via email, compared to 25% via instant messenger and just 14% via social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
SocialTwist’s widgets are often used on blogs, news sites, online contests, rewards programs – anywhere online content can be shared — and feature basic similarities to tools like ShareThis or AddThis. Their study, SocialTwist Social Media Sharing Trends 2009, is based on more than 2 billion shares through their widgets.
Other findings from the study:
- At 26% of all shares, Yahoo mail is the most popular channel for SocialTwist users
- 79% of SocialTwist social media shares occur through Facebook, while Twitter sees only 5%
- At 2% of all shares, bookmarking sites are among the least popular way share content
See the full study: Click here
More analysis from word of mouth supergenius Jason Falls: Click here
Disclosure: The folks at SocialTwist power a few of our programs, including our Word of Mouth Book Club.
Not only does word of mouth affect purchase decisions about traditional consumer products like video games, computer hardware, books, and apparel — but recommendations also play a significant role in health decisions, such as choosing hospital or urgent-care facilities.
In the Spring 2009 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey from Ad-ology Research, results found that WOM — specifically recommendations expressed via social media — impacted nearly 40% of recent hospital or urgent-care center patients, a number jumps to more than 50% for the 25-34 age group.
Learn more about the study: MarketingVOX
According to a new survey from the NPD Group, the majority of gamers rely on word of mouth for game information. 41% of respondents cited direct word of mouth, with another 31% citing hands-on play at the home of a friend or relative — putting referrals and recommendations from friends and strangers well ahead of traditional media or advertising.
Through polling more than 20,000 participants, the NPD Group’s study found that at 72%, word of mouth influenced 67% more gamers than magazine and online advertising, with only 5% of gamers using them for information.
Read more about the study.
