Watercooler convos influence purchases

According to a study by BIGresearch, 95.6% of consumers share advice on purchases with coworkers, and 92.9% ask for their peers’ opinions pre-purchase. These consumers tend to research products online before buying, and they are constantly sharing this information with each other. Casual conversation between coworkers is an effective way to increase discussion of a particular brand. Almost 70% of “at-work consumers” socialize with coworkers during breaks, and just over 40% talk to friends and family during the day. Targeting these consumers can lead to positive word-of-mouth within and outside the office.

(Source: MediaPost “Study: Workplace Peers Influences Shopping Habits”)

See also Center for Media Research “Advertise To Workers At Work To Influence Purchase”

news in communication

the benefits of AIM

According to a study at Ohio State University and the University of California, employees tend to have more conversations through instant messenger, but individual conversations don’t last as long. So while some unimportant chats may occur, IM services allow employees to communicate quickly without the interruptions or time required for a phone call or Email. “We find that employees are quite strategic in their use of instant messaging,” Mr. Garrett said. “They are using it to check in with their colleagues to find out if they’re busy before interrupting them in a more intrusive way.” (R. Kelly Garrett, an assistant professor of communication at Ohio State)

(Source: NYT “What’s Online”)

Gmail Labs

Google’s Gmail Lab brings engineers together to develop new bells and whistles for their popular Email service. Currently, users can opt-in to the new additions. (The first group contained 13 updates, from a break for so-called “email addicts”, to an “old school” snake game).

(Source: NYT “Bits” Blog)

iLove the iPhone

Around 1/3 of iPhone purchasers are women. The use of all forms of smartphones is increasing much more rapidly with women (more than doubling in the last year to 10.4 million). Smartphones have long been used by businesspeople, including women, but they are becoming extremely popular with women from stay-at-home moms to company CEOs. The diverse group of users is bringing smartphones out of the realm of the “techie” or businessman.

(Source: NYT “Smartphones Now Ringing for Women”)