SmallBusinessNewz

If you're still trying to figure out an advertising approach for the holidays, a new study from the National Retail Federation may be of a little help.  Its main finding: word of mouth is the primary motivator when it comes to the purchase of electronics and clothing.

You can't force customers to discuss your company, of course, and not everyone's in the business of hawking iPhones and sweaters, but this chief discovery is still interesting.  It supports the long-respected idea that companies should give their customers an experience worth talking about.

Then there are the (perhaps) easier-to-implement advertising methods.  "[P]roduct reviews (36.8%) and retail advertising inserts (29.2%) - or circulars - will also resonate with consumers in their electronics purchases this holiday season," according to a press release.  "Shoppers looking for the best deal on apparel items, from new jeans to winter coats, will check out circulars (33.3%) and in-store promotions (30.4%)."

Still more ideas (in order of most to least influential) include broadcast television ads, newspaper ads, direct mail, emails, product placement, and blogs.

Mike Gatti, the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association's executive director, concluded in a statement, "Retailers offering great deals will use many channels this holiday season to make sure their customers aren't left in the dark.  If retailers can't get the word out to shoppers about their sales and promotions this holiday season, the lowest prices in the world won't bring customers into the stores."