Contemporary consumer and impersonal electronic communication

Application of contemporary marketing concepts and methods imposes itself on companies in terms of their survival, growth and development. The current market environment is characterized by pronounced dynamism of changes, which can be primarily observed through technological progress and altered consumer behaviour. Consumers are nowadays highly sceptic towards all forms of companies' marketing messages, and therefore increasingly turn to other, so-called non-commercial information sources, above all friends and family, with whom they have highly intensive interpersonal communication, which decisively impacts their attitudes towards companies, brands, products and services. On the other hand, the development of new technologies, primarily information and communication technologies, has facilitated consumers' mutual contacts and exchange of consumer experiences about all aspects of their lives, most of all, products and services that they have purchased and used. For these reasons, companies are faced with serious problems of effectives and efficiency of their marketing activities, primarily promotional ones. The central point to which companies' marketing efforts are directed, making purchase decision that determines business success and survival on the market, is decreasingly under the control of companies, and increasingly under the influence of other consumers and their impressions, comments, and recommendations through interpersonal word-of-mouth communication. The aim of this paper is to present the phenomenon of electronic interpersonal consumer communication, its causes and effects on consumer behaviour on the market of the Republic of Serbia, and thus point to further avenues of its research, as well as possible practical solutions of the problem of efficiency and effectiveness of companies' marketing activities