CLEVELAND -- Word-of-mouth (WOM) is a massive driver of consumer decision-making, according to the Water Cooler Report, a study released by WorkPlace Impact.
Prepared by the Keller Fay Group, a market research company specializing in WOM marketing and social influence, the report is the first to quantify and bring attention to conversations about consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands that happen at work, around the proverbial water cooler.
Among consumers ages 18 to 60, 12% of their conversations about brands occur “at work.” That doubles to 25% when looking at full-time employees and at conversations that happen Monday to Friday, which translates into nearly a billion instances in which people are exposed to brands at work through WOM.
“The results are in: Talking about products in the workplace is one of the most influential ways to get consumers to make the decision to buy,” said Brad Fay, co-founder of the Keller Fay Group. “Word-of-mouth determines 13% of all consumer purchasing, or $6 trillion, and our research shows that employee conversations about brands are more impactful and positive than others.”
Keller Fay Group’s TalkTrack, a study of WOM in all channels, found people who talk about brands at work are more influential and prolific talkers. Nearly half of these “workplace talkers” are professional (28%) or managerial (19%) employees. WOM among workplace talkers is likely to be passed along to others (45%) and highly likely to lead to purchase (48%). And most of these conversations happen offline (87%) versus 12% online (instant/text message, email or social media).
“Word-of-mouth conversations about brands, especially offline and face to face, tend to result in positive brand impressions that not only get passed on, but lead to purchase," Shelly Sekki, president of WorkPlace Impact, Cleveland, said.
Sixty-nine percent of all WOM among workplace talkers is categorized as “mostly positive,” while only 8% is considered “mostly negative.” In addition, 40% of conversations include a strong recommendation to buy the product discussed.
The Water Cooler Report was conducted by the Keller Fay Group from a national sample of 27,000 U.S. employees ages 18 to 60 across a variety of industries.
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