Most brands today have some form of presence on the internet, be it through a website, social media, or e-commerce.
Despite this fact, many companies do not understand people’s fundamental motivations for using the Internet.
Even more importantly, many companies have misconceptions about how and why customers choose to interact with brands online.
How is the behavior of people when interacting with brands on the internet?
We have uncovered a wealth of illuminating statistics collected by TNS Digital of more than 72,000 people around the world, who will help companies paint a more complete picture of online consumer motivation.
How do people use the Internet?
Before you understand how consumers interact with your website, it helps to understand their motivation for using the Internet.
Why do people go online? The top eight reasons are …
- Staying in touch with others: 61%
- Expand your network: 52%
- Connect with other people: 51%
- Broadcast news / events: 34%
- Upload photos: 32%
- Microblog: 30%
- Upload videos: 29%
- Write a blog: 26%
People seem to use most of their time online to share stories, communicate, and connect with people. Your wishes are inherently social and collaborative, and these incentives should always be considered when creating an online experience.
How do people interact with brands?
People’s social leanings online extend into their interactions with brands, but only to a limited extent. Certainly, people use the web to discuss and differentiate about brands from each other: 47% of active online users have commented on a brand online, but they are also cautious when taking a brand’s word for others. consumers:
- Two fifths of people they write comments about people who do not know the brands.
- Half of the respondents believes that a negative review may have an impact on their feelings towards a brand.
and even so…
- 60% of Americans not want to engage with brands through social media
While companies worry that customers only take the time to write about brands when they are upset, the numbers show otherwise. When asked when they decided to comment on a brand online, consumers responded:
- 61% comments with praise towards a brand
- 53% comments from complain about a brand
However, the fact is that «negative reviews and comments[…] are more likely to have an impact on a brand’s sales »(TNS Digital Report).
In general, the main reasons why consumers write about brands are as follows:
- Sharing experiences: 64%
- Offer Tip: 64%
- Praise a brand: 61%
- Ask for advice: 60%
- Share responses / opinions: 56%
- Criticize a brand: 53%
- Sharing cool brand stuff: 51%
- Customer Service: 46%
- Get paid / rewards for doing it: 40%
The main impetus for a consumer when writing about a brand is to share experiences and advice. While people are more likely to trust each other over the word of your business, this doesn’t mean that you can’t learn from dialogue and even join in with it in a tactical way; Consider how you can provide exclusive insight, instruction, discounts, and other things that can help meet consumer needs.
After all, TNS Digital found that “some food categories that saw their store purchases grow more than 20% were influenced at some point prior to purchase by digital touchpoints,” such as product research or coupons online. Attracting customers online, while difficult, is still critical for any business hoping to survive the digital age.