Most Influential Types Of Communication, September 2014 [CHART]

There’s no substitute for relevance, as numerous studies attest, and new research from Epsilon and Wylei Research finds yet again that communications containing relevant information and offers are most likely to impact consumers’ purchase decisions. The data indicates that communications including personal information are significantly influential; while discounts may fuel email-driven purchases, this new study shows that those promotions need to be relevant in order to have an impact. Indeed, few respondents reported that promotional offers not relevant to their needs at the time of the message have a positive impact on their purchase decisions.

Besides brand communications, word-of-mouth is a well-known source of influential communications. According to the Epsilon study, friends (59%) and family members (55%) are the most likely to influence consumers’ decisions of whether or not to purchase or sign up for a product or service. The influence of friends, family or colleagues is heaviest when it comes to purchase decision in the financial service, insurance and travel categories, per the report. Read the rest at MarketingCharts.