▶ The Glacial Pace of ‘Social Business’: A majority of business professionals (70%) believe “that social business is an opportunity to fundamentally change the way their organization works,” according to a new study by MIT Sloan Management Review. The publication took the pulse of 2,545 business professionals to gauge how they are using and interacting with social technologies. While a growing number of professionals are buying into the importance of social business, the execution of such tactics continues to move at a glacial pace
The study also found that:
• Less than one out of 10 respondents scored their company’s social business maturity at eight or above on a scale of one through 10.
• Conversely, five out of 10 respondents indicated their company score to be three or below.
• Social business is believed to improve understanding of market shifts in 65% of respondents from an organization in a maturing stage, versus 14% of respondents from organizations in an early stage.
Source: MIT Sloan Management Review
▶ ‘Showrooming’ is The New Window Shopping:
“Showrooming” is becoming a common consumer practice, according to a new survey conducted by Parago. “Showrooming” is the act of looking at products in brick and mortar stores while comparing prices with online retailers to get the best deal. Parago, which sampled more than 1,000 U.S. smartphone owners, found that 58% of adult smartphone users engage in showrooming, which breaks down to approximately one-third of all adult shoppers.
Here ares some other nugs from the study:
• Amazon is the online store of choice for checking prices on smartphones.
• Most shoppers will buy a substitute product if they find one on their smartphone for significantly less, despite the advantage of being able to see and touch the in-store product.
• Good news for stores that can price-match Amazon: 67% of respondents will buy from a brick and mortar store if it can match Amazon’s price.PRN
Source: Parago
APCO Worldwide has rolled out a survey focusing on the effectiveness of trade associations. The PR agency asked 456 Washington D.C. leaders to assess 50 trade associations based on several characteristics. The survey revealed 15 essential characteristics that APCO used to establish a rank of trade associations. Communicators and PR pros should note the organizations that excel in such areas as Membership Mobilization, Industry Reputation, Media Relations, Social Media and Unified Voice, and examine their PR practices.