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Minority shapes opinions about products on the Internet
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Only one-fifth of Internet users post product reviews on the interactive Web
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The younger generation, especially, is unwilling to provide feedback
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Hamburg, June 12th 2007 –
Only around one in eight Internet users count among the creative doers in the world of Web 2.0. Not even half of all surfers join in the exchange of information about products and services on the Net. In fact, only around one-fifth actually writes recommendations for other customers. These are the findings of the trend survey "Vernetzte Kunden - Wie Web 2.0 das Online-Shopping verändert” (Online consumers - how Web 2.0 is changing online shopping) conducted by novomind AG in collaboration with wiwo.de and handelsblatt.com.
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Conversely, the online community is very interested in obtaining information about products and user tips. Eighty-five per cent of Internet users actively seek information about products on the Net before making a purchase, three-quarters of them read the product reviews of other buyers. Half of all respondents additionally go straight to the virtual marketplaces, such as Amazon or Otto.de, to take a close look round. Almost two-thirds also sign up to receive online newsletters.
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As the majority merely reads and does not write reviews, only a small section of the Web community shapes opinions about products and services on the Internet. For e-commerce companies, therefore, it is above all important to reach the few who do express praise and criticism about products on the Net. Many companies have until now underestimated the multiplier potential of this relatively small group. By concentrating their customer communications on this active target group of Internet users, brand producers and shop operators can control product information to far greater effect.
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An above-average number of young people aged between 14 and 20 belong to those who post no comments. Some 62.5 per cent say they do not pass on information for others on the Internet, over one-third of this age group refuse to write customer reviews. The 50-plus generation would also prefer to surf inconspicuously, but do participate more frequently than the youngsters. People between 30 and 50 are clearly more active in this respect. About half of them say they post their own content online and one in four admitted to making their views known online about products they have bought.
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Most Internet user contributions can be found in user forums.
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The report on the trend survey "Vernetzte Kunden - Wie Web 2.0 das Online-Shopping verändert" presents the findings of an online survey conducted for novomind AG in collaboration with wiwo.de and handelsblatt.com. The survey investigated where the latest trends lie with Web 2.0 applications and how customers use them. The survey was conducted during the period from 30 January to 28 February 2007. Altogether 374 end consumers took part.
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novomind is a software developer in Hamburg and the fastest-growing company in the field of electronic customer communications and mail management. As the leading provider of innovative solutions for digital customer communications, novomind AG provides software for service-oriented and personalised customer dealings. The software not only optimises efficiency in customer administration significantly, it also gives the user a faster return on investment. The portfolio of the Products division includes the novomind Self-Service SuiteTM. The software package contains all the communication modules necessary for a customer service centre on a central knowledge basis: e-mail management, virtual customer consulting and systems for interactive, real-time communication. The novomind AG Services division implements complex e-business applications. More than 40 major companies have already decided in favour of novomind technology, among them Citibank, Otto, Yello Strom and the German pension institution Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund. Club Bertelsmann, EnBW and Mexx as well as public-sector users, such as the German Bundestag (parliament) and the German Department of Trade and Industry, have already successfully introduced novomind systems to optimise their customer communications, turnover and PR.
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