Abstract
Today, many consumers turn to the Internet to research products- whether they buy on the Web site or later in-store. As they conduct their research, the critical first-step in the purchase decision, consumers assign more credibility to the opinions of other consumers than to paid experts or sell copy.
The Consumer Interactions report analyzes the impact online customer-generated content is having on the sales process, online and off.
Blogs and customer ratings and reviews have been part of the Internet landscape for a while now, but social shopping sites have emerged over the past two years and are still a work in progress.
More and more, all of them are influencing sales, and marketers are increasingly reaching out to the growing number of online consumers who take their shopping cues from their peers by targeting influential product reviewers
Key questions the “Consumer Interactions” report answers:
- What is social shopping?
- How can online retailers take advantage of social shopping trends?
- How do blogs help online consumers make purchase decisions?
- How do customer ratings and reviews benefit consumers and retailers?
- How are online marketers reaching out to online trendsetters and influentials?
- How can a bad review help online sellers?
- And many others.....
eMarketer Reports- On Target and Up to Date
The Consumer Interactions report aggregates the latest data from marketing and communications researchers with eMarketer analysis to provide the information you need to make smart, accurate business decisions.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
- Credible Sources of Information about a Company according to US Opinion-Elite Consumers*, October-November 2007 (% of respondents)
- Key Questions
The eMarketer View
The Online Social Shopping Phenomenon
- The Allure of Online Social Shopping
- US Frequent Online Social Network Users Who Trust Their Peers' Opinions vs. Trusting Advertising When Making a Major Purchase Decision, 2007 (% of respondents)
- Primary Reason that US Adult Internet Users Have Contributed to a Social Networking and/or User-Generated Content Web Site, April 2007 (% of respondents)
- US Social Network Users, by Age, 2007 (% of respondents in each group)
- Top 10 Online Retail Categories among US Internet Users, Ranked by Heavy Social Network User* Penetration, August 2007 (thousands and % of total)
- The Social Shopping Landscape
- Leading Social Shopping Web Sites in the US, Ranked by Market Share of Visits, February 2008
- The Impact of Social Shopping on Retailers
- Leading Upstream Types of Web Sites Visited by US Internet Users before Visiting Online Retail Web Sites*, December 2007 (% of total visits)
- Marketing Objectives for Which Social Media Offer the Greatest Potential according to Marketing Professionals in Select Countries Worldwide*, 2007 (% of respondents)
How Blogs Influence the Consumer Decision Process
- US Blog Readers, by Age, 2007 (% of respondents)
- Blog, Instant Messaging (IM) and Social Networking Web Site Use by Affluent* vs. Total US Internet Users, March 2007 (% of respondents in each group)
- Credible Sources of Information about a Company according to US Opinion-Elite Consumers*, October-November 2007 (% of respondents)
- How US Internet Users Assess the Credibility of the Blogs They Read, November-December 2006 (% of respondents)
- US Online Shoppers Who Visit Retailer Web Sites Directly vs. via Blogs, 2007 (% of respondents)
- Top Twelve US Blogs, Ranked by Fans*, March 11, 2008
- Select Media that Influence Electronics Purchases by US Adult Consumers, December 2007 (% of respondents and % change vs. December 2006)
- Types of Sites Where US Internet Users Research Wine Online, April-May 2007 (% of respondents)
- Select US and UK Wine Blogs, 2008
- Marketing to Bloggers
- Marketing Tactics that US Marketers Use or Will Consider Using Next Year, April-May 2007 (% of respondents)
- US Marketers Who Use Word-of-Mouth, Blog or Social Network Marketing, 2007 (% of respondents in each group)
The Power of Online Customer Ratings and Reviews
- Who Reads and Writes Customer Reviews
- Web Site* Content and Functionality Desired by US Internet Users, Q3 2007 (% of respondents)
- Attitude of Online Shoppers toward Retail Web Sites with Customer Reviews, February 2007 (% of respondents)
- Credibility of Consumer-Generated Online Reviews according to US Internet Users, August-September 2007 (% of respondents)
- US Internet Users Who Read and/or Write Consumer-Generated Online Reviews, August-September 2007 (% of respondents)
- Tone of Online Feedback for Products and Services Written in the Past Month by US Internet Users*, August-October 2007 (% of respondents)
- How Customer Reviews Are Used
- Stage of Shopping Process during which US Online Buyers Read Customer Reviews, 2008 (% of respondents)
- Purchase Decisions of US Internet Users that Have Been Influenced by Consumer-Generated Online Reviews, August-September 2007 (% of respondents)
- US Internet Users Who Share/Discuss Consumer-Generated Online Reviews with Family, Friends and/or Colleagues, August-September 2007 (% of respondents)
- Minimum Number of Customer Reviews Required by US Online Buyers before a Product Purchase Decision, 2008 (% of respondents)
- Purchase Decisions of US Internet Users that Have Been Influenced by Consumer-Generated Online Reviews, by Product Category, August-September 2007 (% of respondents)
- Offline Purchase Behavior of US Online Consumer Review Readers, by Service Category, October 2007 (% of respondents)
- How Retailers Benefit from Customer Reviews
- Whether Web Sites of US Online Retailers Allow Customer Product Reviews on the Site, July 2007 (% of respondents)
- US Online Retailers with Customer Reviews on Their Sites, Q4 2005, Q4 2006 & Q4 2007 (% of respondents)
- Leading Benefits of Customer-Generated Ratings and Reviews according to Online Retailers in the UK, the US and Europe, June-July 2007 (% of respondents)
- Effect of Customer-Generated Ratings and Reviews on Select Web Site Metrics in the Past Year according to Online Retailers in the UK, the US and Europe, June-July 2007 (% of respondents)
- Conversion Rate Increase due to Customer Reviews on Web Site of US Online Retailers, 2007 (% of respondents)
- Increase in Average Purchase by Online Shoppers Who Use vs. Do Not Use Customer Product Reviews on Web Sites* of US Online Retailers, July 2007 (% of respondents)
- Making Customer Ratings and Reviews Even More Useful
Trends to Watch
Related Information and Links
- Related Links
- Contact
- Report Contributors
