embrace conversational commerce This is the fourth of five thoughts regarding the importance of connecting and the power of community. Facilitating connection and leveraging community is arguably the ‘next big thing’ in marketing, an issue explored in some detail in Tuesday’s thought. Recent research suggests that 80% of businesses in the United States with a […]

embrace conversational commerce This is the fourth of five thoughts regarding the importance of connecting and the power of community. Facilitating connection and leveraging community is arguably the ‘next big thing’ in marketing, an issue explored in some detail in Tuesday’s thought. Recent research suggests that 80% of businesses in the United States with a ‘brand community’ believe that community increases traffic, engagement, and sales. Another study found that 70% of larger businesses in the United States are investing in building and leveraging a brand community. Yet another study in the United States found that 53% of executives believe that members of a brand community are more loyal – driving repeat business and referrals. A further study found that 59% of businesses involved in building and leveraging brand communities engage in what they call ‘conversational commerce’, that is, driving ongoing sales and margins by engaging community members in conversation around…