e-commerce & social media

A study released by the Acquity Group, part of Accenture Interactive, has found that 94 percent of B2B buyers conduct some research before making a purchase, with 55 percent of them doing so for at least half of their purchases.

XThe “State of B2B Procurement” report looked at 500 B2B procurement officers with annual purchasing budgets of approximately $100,000. The goal was to determine how B2B companies adapt and stay competitive through their purchasing decisions.

About 68 percent of B2B buyers purchase goods online, compared to 57 percent cited in the 2013 version of the study. Nearly 44 percent of respondents said that they researched goods and services on a smartphone or tablet over the past 12 months....

Via Jeff Domansky

Price still rules as an online purchase influencer, but basic brand assets should not be ignored in online product presentations.

Clear, concise, and pertinent product descriptions make online shoppers press the “Buy” button more often than do favorable reviews. In fact, only price topped persuasive product copy as a purchase influencer, according to a survey of 500 consumers conducted by Markettree for HookLogic.

Price remains king, with 84% of consumers designating it as one of the top three factors that cause them to buy. Sixty-three percent named product descriptions, and 49% listed reviews. Bringing up the rear were videos, named by only 12%. Fundamental brand assets like product names, images, and features, maintains HookLogic's survey report, are the bottom-of-the-funnel items most likely to turn browsers into buyers....

Via Jeff Domansky

Audio consumption is at its all-time easiest. The technological capabilities we carry in our pockets daily are truly awesome and, increasingly, companies are looking to put more content in our eyes and ears as conveniently as possible.

We're ready for it too. Apple's purchase of Beats is a $3 billion investment in the public's listening habits, as is Amazon's new streaming service, not to mention Sub Pop and other labels' embrace of the Drip.fm digital subscription service.

The evidence is obvious but to move us from the anecdotal to the factual, Edison Research has released a survey to quantify just how much Americans are listening to music. According to their "Share of Ear" study, most U.S. residents listen to roughly four hours and five minutes of audio each day. That's divided between broadcast radio (52 percent); owned music such as downloads, vinyl, CDs, and tapes (20 percent); streaming services such as Beats Music, Spotify, and Pandora (12 percent); satellite radio (8 percent); podcasts (2 percent); and whatever else falls into the "other" category, like audiobooks (2 percent)....

Via Jeff Domansky