Business buyers and sellers seem to be expecting a rise in online communications like mobile phone promotions, blogs, social media and webinars and a gradual decline in direct mail, seminars and other more conventional promotions.

Online communications is growing in influence and although there is always a time delay whilst buyers and sellers gear-up to adopt and exploit these new methods, business is experiencing change already. There is information available online on many more products and services and their providers including from abroad.

It is suggested that blogs and online community Websites will have an increasing influence on buyers and the way they select who they buy from. The research reports that respondents highlighted the advantages of using social media, online forums and blogs as being more useful and relevant. than other more traditional sources.

Having to rely on search engines to find what you are looking for can take too much time and may not give you the results you were looking for and comparison Websites are not much better. Going direct to recognised  user forums and specialised blogs can save time and produce better and more relevant information.

At the same time information and advice needs to be more portable and instant which is likely to lead to more and more sources being accessed via mobile phones and other similar devices whilst people are on the move.