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WOM Key in Food, Beverage, Healthcare Decisions
Consumers young and old are using varying degrees of traditional media, the internet, and social networks to inform their decisions, according to results from the Lumin Collaborative Survey that were released in April. The survey, which was conducted by Fabrizio, MacLaughlin and Associates, indicates that purchase decisions related to higher priced and more complex products prompt internet research. Alternatively, consumers indicate word of mouth is the preferred source for food, beverage, and healthcare information.
Other findings:
* When searching for product information online, consumers are most influenced by corporate sites, search engines, product reviews, and user feedback.
* Buyers spend the most time researching consumer technology products.
* Echo Boomers (ages 18-31) rely more on the internet than traditional media and Baby Boomers (ages 42-62) value word of mouth and traditional media more than the internet.
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I'm the tail-end of the Baby Boomers. WOM is exactly right for the boomers. Internet savvy Echo Boomers are the researchers. A recent law student explained to me that he doesn't read the paper, instead relying on the internet and its variable sources for information.
In my site, I've combined the best of both worlds--the review for the Baby Boomer (my opinion) and the interview for the Echo Boomer (expert's opinion/science-based facts).
Both definitely are draws.
Kelly Jad'on
OnLine Publisher
www.BasilAndSpice.com
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