Growth market Social Web

Purchase decisions are increasingly made after consulting the Web, because the online word-of-mouth recommendations of consumers have a particularly targeted effect.

A pioneer in researching virtual communities

VICO Research & Consulting has been researching virtual communities since 2003. As a market-research firm we specialize in the analysis of consumer-generated content, primarily derived from forums, blogs, communities and evaluation platforms. Our consulting services exploit this content to harness the potential of communication on the Social Web for you as a company and help you enter into dialogue with your customers on the Web.

Times are changing − communications media too

For centuries, the decision to purchase a product took place in a dialogue between seller and buyer. With the advent of new mass media, this eye-level conversation was replaced with the one-way communication of sellers. And yet the intensified monologue of manufacturers has only strengthened the resistance of customers to buy.

Customers are now demanding a dialogue again, the Social Web (Web 2.0) having given them a voice which is often louder than that of major corporations. The Social Web with its varied Web services and platforms offers consumers the ability to engage in a mutal exchange of opinions, impressions and experiences.

 

Decisions to buy are increasingly made online

Consumers only inform themselves on the Internet about products they are actually interested in purchasing. In doing so they prefer reading the unbiased consumer reports of independent observers (or even opinion leaders) in order to minimize their purchasing risk.

Since no direct financial interests are at stake, consumer reports are considerably more credible than TV ads, pop-ups or banners.

Dialogue with customers on the Internet is booming

The Internet is being increasingly transformed into a marketing platform neither controlled nor created by businesses. That’s why you as a business have to take advantage of this trend, enter into dialogue with your customers, and keep an eye on existing consumer-generated content. We support you as a competent and experienced partner.