Consumers who contribute to online forums are overwhelmingly more engaged in "influential" activities–– both online and offline––than people who don't use forums, according to a study by PostRelease and Synovate.
One in five Americans surveyed contribute to forums, the study found.
Online forum contributors are 3.5 times more likely to proactively recommend a particular purchase to someone else, 3.5 times more likely to share links about new products, and 4 times more likely to post online ratings and reviews, the study found; they are also almost twice as likely to share advice––offline and in person––based on information they've read online.
Moreover, those who contribute to online forums are 10 times more likely than non-contributors to publish a blog and are 9 times more likely to take an active role in organizing an offline event or meet-up for a group that originally met online, PostRelease said.
Below, additional findings from the study.
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Influence on Purchase Decisions Strong
Forum contributors are significantly more likely to influence purchases based on their online activity: 79.2% of forum contributors say they help friends or family member make decisions about product purchases, compared with 47.6% of non-contributors who say so, and 66% of forum contributors post online ratings and reviews of products and services, compared with only 16.8% of non-contributors.
Forum contributors are also active bloggers: 20.6% say they publish a blog, compared with 2.1% of non-contributors who do. In addition, 18.8% of forum contributors take an active role in organizing offline events or meet-ups for a group that met originally online, compared with 2.4% of non-contributors.
Below, other insights about who is most likely to contribute to online forums.
Men are more likely to contribute to forums than women: 23.5% of men say they contribute, versus 15.7% of women.
- Younger people are more likely to contribute to forums: 33% of those age 18-24 and 25% of those age 25-34, compared with 20% overall.
- People with children participate in forums more than those without: 26% versus 16.3%.
- A college education makes a difference: 20% of those with post-grad degrees participate in forums, and 21.8% of those with at least some college say the same, compared with 12.9% of respondents with no college education.
- Non-white people are more likely than white people to contribute to forums: 26% versus 18%.
- Those in the South (23.2%) and West (22.2%) of the US are more active in forums that those in the Northeast (16%) and Midwest (13.5%).
About the data: The nationwide survey of 1,000 Americans was conducted November 19-23, 2009 by PostRelease in conjunction with Synovate .
