Both Young Chinese & American Online Searchers Spread the Word but
Differ in How They Communicate Findings, According to BIGresearch

Face-to-Face Word of Mouth Preferred by Americans, Instant Messaging for Chinese

COLUMBUS, OH – (MARKET WIRE) – 7/22/08 – Young Chinese and American consumers 18 to 34 years old who say they regularly research products online before buying in a store are almost equally as likely to share their findings with a friend, according to an analysis of BIGresearch’s (http://www.bigresearch.com) most recent China Quarterly (4,005 participants) and Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM 12, Jun 08, 17,231 participants). 56.1% of young Chinese searchers and 53.8% of their American counterparts give advice to others about products and services they’ve purchased on a regular basis.

Give advice to others about products/services purchased     

                Chinese 18-34  Americans 18-34              
                Regularly      Regularly
                Search Online* Search Online**
Regularly       56.1%          53.8%
Occasionally    42.5%          43.9%
Never           1.4%           2.3%  

Source: BIGresearch, *China Quarterly (Q2 2008), **SIMM 12 (Jun 08)

For complimentary data and charts: www.bigresearch.com/chinaq.htm

“Young Chinese and American consumers who research products online seem to be similar in the fact that they are a great source of information and share what they find with others,” said Gary Drenik, President of BIGresearch. “Global marketers ramping up viral marketing/word of mouth efforts would be smart to consider such similarities in these consumer groups to increase ROI.”

Among young Chinese consumers, Word of Mouth is also one of the top three influences for making purchases of wireless, medicine, home improvement and eating out.

However, marketers should recognize differences as well between the young Chinese and their American counterparts. Although both sets are similar in their desire to give advice, how they communicate to others is a different story. According to the analysis, Chinese ages 18 to 34 seem to be much more prone to the use of digital technologies, as instant messaging (75.4%) is the most popular form of communication after an online search. Americans the same age prefer face-to face (73.8%), which doesn’t make an appearance on the list of top three for young Chinese.

Communicate with others about a product/service after searching (Top 3)

Chinese 18-34                 Americans 18-34                        
Regularly Search Online*      Regularly Search Online**            
Instant Messaging             Face-to-Face  
Telephone                     Email
Cell Phone                    Telephone  

Source: BIGresearch, *China Quarterly (Q2 2008), **SIMM 12 (Jun 08)

About BIGresearch
BIGresearch is a consumer intelligence firm providing analysis of behavior in areas of products and services, retail, financial services, automotive, and media. The China Quarterly monitors the purchasing behavior and media consumption of more than 4,000 young adult Chinese consumers between 18-34 years old. The China Quarterly includes greater insights on shopping habits and media consumption and is available through BIGresearch in report or database format.

BIGresearch conducts the biggest surveys with sample sizes from 4,000 to 15,000 and employs unique computer intensive statistical methods to give the most accurate insights available with an average margin of error of +/- 1 percent. http://www.bigresearch.com

Contact:
Chrissy Wissinger
BIGresearch
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(614) 846-0146
chrissy@bigresearch.com