Marketing research and insights news and information. This issue's keywords: work e-mail; product recommendations; family vacations; in-store purchases; online shopping; Millennials; online ads
One-in-five employed U.S. adults (19.2 percent) said that they wake up to check work e-mail "very often," while nearly 24 percent check e-mail "very often" during dinner, according to a survey by SaaS enterprise service management company Samanage, Cary, N.C. In addition, 35.2 percent of respondents said they check their work e-mail at least one hour a day outside of work hours, totaling more than 30 days of extra work per year. Nearly 40 percent (39.4 percent) of Millennials said they have woken up to check work e-mail. Additional findings show that 18.9 percent of employees receive more than 100 e-mails on a daily basis. The top two reasons U.S. adults check work e-mail after hours are to "stay organized" and "feel connected to work," but 20 percent of respondents expressed negative feelings toward opening their in-box outside the office, admitting to feeling "overwhelmed" and "frustrated." More than one-in-three (39.1 percent) of employees do not have control settings in place to manage after-hours e-mail. However, 47.3 percent of young Millennials age 18-24 use advanced e-mail settings to control, automate or organize their e-mail compared to 32.2 percent to Baby Boomers age 65+.
Eighty-five percent of Americans surveyed said they are more likely to buy a product or service if it is recommended by someone they know, according to a survey by Minneapolis-based promotional marketing services company YA, and 76 percent said a referral would cause them to choose one brand over another. Additionally, the greatest percentage (38 percent) said that when researching products and services, a referral from a friend is the source of information they trust the most, ahead of online reviews (26 percent), news reports (10 percent) or advertising (5 percent). A majority of respondents (91 percent) also indicated that they give referrals when they like the product. However, only one-quarter (22 percent) of survey respondents said they have participated in a formalized refer-a-friend program. According to the survey, 42 percent of respondents said they had made a referral when a friend requested information or expressed a need. Consumers are most likely to participate in a referral program after good service (47 percent) or after buying the product (33 percent), according to respondents.
More than one-third of Americans (35 percent) are planning to take a family vacation of 50 miles or more away from home involving two or more immediate family members in the next 12 months, according to a recent survey by AAA, Orlando, Fla. Lower gas prices have helped motivate Americans to drive at record levels, according to AAA, and 55 percent of Americans say they are more likely to take a road trip this year due to lower gas prices. Road trips (69 percent), national parks (49 percent) and theme parks (42 percent) are the most popular types of vacations for families planning to travel in the next year. Vacations to international destinations (26 percent) and cruises (19 percent) round out the top five most popular vacation options for traveling families.
Shoppers within 17 industries across APAC, LATAM, Europe, North America and the Middle East were asked about the last time they were deciding whether to purchase something online versus in a store and indicate what swayed their decision one way or the other, in a study by Nuremberg, Germany, firm GFK. The findings show that the most important factors that shoppers say swayed their decision to make their purchase online rather than in-store include saving money (55 percent), easier shopping (28 percent), a better selection of goods (26 percent) and faster shopping (25 percent). The fifth-most popular factor was equally divided, with one-in-five shoppers (21 percent) saying they chose online because they get better information there and the same number saying it was because they are routinely shopping there already. For purchases where shoppers chose to buy in-store rather than online, the leading factor swaying that decision is because they can see and feel the products before they buy (51 percent). A third (33 percent) said they chose to make a specific purchase in-store rather than online because shopping is easier in-store. The next-highest reason is that returns are less hassle (29 percent), closely followed by the fact that the shopper is routinely shopping there already (28 percent). The fifth-most popular influencer for buying in-store was equally divided between getting better information and saving money (both 22 percent).
Millennials are more likely to share ads they like online than any other demographic, according to data by London-based video ad tech company Unruly, which also found that Millennials are 23 percent more likely to enjoy ads they find relevant. However, the findings also show that Millennials are also the generation most likely to install ad blockers and put video ads on mute, with 93 percent considering ad-blocking software in the future and four out of every five saying they will mute a brand's video ads. The reasons Millennials give for considering using ad blockers is they feel they see too many ads (58.9 percent), they see the same ads over and over again (49.4 percent) and that they feel "creeped out" by ads which follow them around the Web (43.1 percent). The findings also show that Millennials look for authenticity in a brand, with 74 percent saying they lose trust in a brand if an ad feels fake. Happiness and inspiration are the emotions which resonate best with Millennials, who are 27 percent more likely to feel happy and 25 percent more likely to feel inspired when watching video ads than average.
These reports were compiled from recent issues of the Daily News Queue, a free e-newsletter digest of marketing research and insights news and information delivered each business morning. Not already in the Queue? Sign up here!