Americans in the workforce have a significant impact on their coworkers’ consumer shopping behaviors – 96% say they regularly or occasionally give shopping advice to their peers, according to (pdf) a recent WorkPlace Media survey conducted by BIGResearch.
Moreover, nearly 93% indicate that they seek similar advice from their coworkers before making purchases. – Marketing Charts – Coworker Word-of-Mouth Strongly Influences Purchases
You may already know that your customers turn to their peers for help in making purchase decisions. This study shows that coworkers have a significant influence, which makes sense since we spend a great deal of time (like or not) with these people. Coworkers often have similar needs and experiences for work purchase decisions. Keep this information in mind when you think about where your customers turn to get information about your products. Relying on traditional advertising may not reach these influencers, but putting your customer first with great customer service and communication certainly will.