SMS research should give retailers the St Louis blues

by: admin Tuesday, August 21st, 2007

Rating: told ya

Martiz Research of St Louis has undertaken a study of Generation Y shoppers and their attitudes towards retailers’ digital advertising.

No surprise that 69% send texts at the rate of an average of 17 per day, but those surveyed said they didn’t like SMS being used as an advertising medium because it’s over-used. Some 65% said they would not subscribe to offers via mobile and only already 5% subscribe to offers by text. In other words, SMS is for communicating with your mates, not having the pants irritated off you when you’re in the middle of something – or to quote Kinky Friedman – someone else.

Perhaps surprisingly, it turns out 48% of Generation Y respondents belong to an online group hosted by a retailer, while 26% have posted an online review for a product or specific retailer, and approximately 67% use online reviews to help them make purchasing decisions.

Blogs are another place where Gen Y shoppers either mention products or retailers or where they go for information that can have an impact on their buying behaviour. 22% of respondents indicated they have mentioned products or retailers in a personal blog and 21% have used other blogs as a resource.

Nothing new there then either – just like for the rest of us, peer pressure is a strong force, but for Generation Y, more so.

Delighted, as ever, to have my own prejudices confirmed. Tra la.