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Majority of Cellphone Buyers Influenced by Web Word-of-Mouth »
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Majority of Cellphone Buyers Influenced by Web Word-of-Mouth
Nearly 61% of US consumers who recently bought a mobile or wireless phone were influenced by online product reviews and user comments, while 30% of purchasers were similarly influenced by blogs, according to the Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey by Ad-ology.
Additional findings:
- Consumers who rated online blogs and reviews highly tend to be younger (18 - 34 years old) and have average or higher-than-average incomes.
- Television, newspapers, and direct mail advertisements were among the most influential traditional media for recent mobile phone buyers.
- 26.3% of consumers surveyed indicated they prefer to purchase mobile/wireless phones online instead of in perso or at a store.
- Survey respondents also revealed product reviews, user comments, and blogs significantly influenced other consumer electronics purchases.
- The price of a cell phone was widely considered to be a less important buying factor than rate plans, coverage area, and mobile phone product quality.
“This is the modern day version of ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising,” said C. Lee Smith, president and CEO of Ad-ology Research. “Advertisers have always known the immense value of positive word-of-mouth. Now consumers have a whole world of opinions and reviews available online, and this survey shows how much they value that kind of information.”
About the survey: The Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey is conducted quarterly by Ad-ology Research to study on- and off-line media influence on buying decisions. The survey asks a national consumer panel about key factors in their buying decisions. Respondents also rate nine types of online and seven types of traditional media with regard to how each influenced what they bought and where they bought it. The research was conducted with an online consumer panel of 1,105 adults from August 25-28, 2008.
