Word-of-Mouth in the Workplace: Something to Think About
Three weeks ago a co-worker told me about great deals she gets shopping at Target online. It immediately sparked my interest. I never thought of shopping online at a store I could easily drive to. When she told me I could return merchandise purchased online to any of the physical stores … I was sold.
When I got home I perused the clearance section of Target’s online shoe store and found the perfect pair of silver flats for only $10 with shipping. I bought them.
Apparently this situation isn’t isolated to MarketingSherpa staff. A recent WorkPlace Media survey conducted by BIGresearch says that coworkers’ word-of-mouth suggestions strongly influence the purchase decisions of their coworkers.
Other findings from the survey:
–95.6% of at-work consumers regularly or occasionally give advice to peers about products and services
–92.9% seek advice from coworkers before making purchases
For marketers, this is an opportunity to think of ways to reach consumers in the workplace. About 47% of at-work consumers indicated they research electronics online at work before making the purchase at brick- and-mortar stores. This could be an untapped niche and an opportunity for inventive online marketing programs.
Categories: Branding, Consumer Marketing, Ecommerce Eretail, Online Marketing Consumer Marketing, ecommerce, Online Marketing, word-of-mouth
