No matter how technically educated the auditory is, when it comes to purchasing, the majority of buying decisions are influenced by brand-name popularity, according to a recent poll at X-bit labs.

The results of one of the latest polls at X-bit labs showcase that 53% of respondents felt that popularity of a brand-name affects their decisions when making purchases, 28% of surveyed said brand’s fame has influence on their choice, but rarely. Only about 18% of participants claimed that brand-name does not have an effect on their preferences.

The results are generally not surprising, as nowadays ads and commercials are not the only things that promote a brand-name. Computer users, for example, form communities where they discuss the latest trends, technologies and products. Provided that a number of devices from one manufacturer receive good reputation from the end-users, products made by this maker will become more preferable. Product reviews is another important driver of brand-name popularity: in case a gadget receives acknowledgement from a professional reviewer, it will automatically become a product being looked forward.

The outcome of the poll means that a company aiming to gain popularity among technically savvy audience should pay a lot of attention to advertising, product reviews and also good quality, as communities are usually praise superior devices, but are usually ruthless to products that they believe do not satisfy their needs perfectly.

X-bit labs poll questioned about 2 thousands of respondents in late-April, 2005.