A report on the eMarketer website says that retailers needn't spend so much time worrying about how bloggers are going to discredit their brands and drive away customers. As research points out, more bloggers than not have something positive to say when they write about a retail company. And even when they're going off on a rant, their influence on shopping habits is minimal.
First off, a study by CARMA International found that roughly 41 percent of blog coverage of national retailers was positive compared to 28 percent negative.
Another study by BIGresearch found that, at least when it came to clothing, only 3.3 percent of adults were influenced in their purchasing decision based on what they read on a blog.
Discussion Questions: How should retailers and other marketers monitor and react (or not) to bloggers? Should they try to use bloggers to their banner or brand's benefit?