Consumers more influenced by traditional marketing than digital

Despite the growth in digital advertising, traditional physical advertising still holds the greatest influence over consumers’ purchasing decisions, new research has shown. 

According to a study conducted by YouGov and Steria, consumers cited in-store advertising as the most powerful when it comes to influencing buying decisions (28%), followed by newspaper and magazine adverts (27%).

In comparison, online advertising influenced just 18% whilst ads on social network recorded 9% and mobile ads just 7%, the figures showed.

However, the low figure for social media is not a true representation of social media’s influence on purchasing decisions. The research revealed that human opinions are of most importance when choosing to buy goods or services, with 57% of respondents claiming friends’ views were most influential.

And it’s not just friends’ opinons that matter. According to the study, 40% of respondents said they were even influenced by people they don’t know, whether they heard the views in person or saw them online. 

Geraint Evans, multichannel director at Steria UK, said: “Rather than suggest that we replace one sort of marketing with another, today’s findings illustrate just how versatile the modern marketer has to be. Consumer buying behaviour differs greatly depending on factors like age, location and gender.

“Companies wishing to get an edge over the competition will need to show a clear understanding of both online and offline channels, and how consumers best respond to them. Part of this means providing appropriate tools and functionality to make the shopping experience as quick and easy as possible.”