Reviews Have Greatest Influence On Purchases

2/3/2013

Online reviews and product ratings have the most influence on both online and in-store purchases, according to a survey of holiday shoppers by Baynote and the e-tailing group. Social media have very little influence on purchases. With the exception of those ages 25-34, the majority of shoppers say their purchases are never influenced by social media.

In contrast, more than six in 10 adults say their purchases are influenced by paper catalogs at least once in a while.

Tablets are more likely than smartphones to be used for a variety of shopping-related activities, including researching products and prices before visiting stores, reading product ratings or reviews, looking up store hours, and making purchases via retail apps. Smartphones and tablets are about equally likely to be used for activities in-store such as comparing prices and redeeming coupons.

Shoppers who purchase via mobile devices are much more likely to buy via mobile websites than via apps. Although a third (34%) of shoppers who purchase via mobile web rather than app cite security concerns as a reason for not using apps, privacy issues on the whole are not a major deterrent to either online or mobile shopping and purchasing.

Source: “Back to the Future,” January 2013, Baynote and the e-tailing group. Baynote, 333 W. San Carlos, #700, San Jose, CA 95110; 408-213-9601; marketing@baynote.com; www.baynote.com. The e-tailing group, Lauren Freedman, President, 1444 W. Altgeld St., Chicago, IL 60614; 773-975-7280; lf@e-tailing.com; www.e-tailing.com

© 2013 Business Valuation Resources, LLC (BVR). May not be reproduced without written consent of publisher.

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