The 2009 Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report summarizing an August survey of 1,000 “connected consumers” opens with the conclusion: “Experience matters”.
When consumers engage with brands online, that online experience influences their buying decisions – a whopping 90+% of the time. Apparently actions speak louder than advertising, whose conversion rate is comparatively paltry by any standard.
Are Facebook, MySpace and Twitter becoming the Outlet Malls of Tomorrow? The report highlights how consumers are turning first to the Internet – not surprising for those of us who did their homework online before hitting the Black Friday sales in November.
Equally influential, the study points out, is that this demographic called the “connected consumer” has become the New Mainstream of consumerism, with only 18% of the surveyed population qualifying as “laggards”.
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Commentary
Who’s in charge here?
While providers of inbound marketing solutions urge marketers to adopt those data-driven marketing solutions under the premise that the buyer is in control, implying that that business must engage online or bust, this Razorfish study points out that marketers have a huge opportunity – nay, obligation – to influence the consumer experience online. Sounds like a partnership to me.
Who’s in charge of your customer experience? How can you tell? What would you change? Love to hear your thoughts on this, readers. Comment below.
~Ed
