How Social Media Influences Shopping Behavior
March 18, 2016
Digital buyers worldwide are turning to social networks for a variety of things, like reading reviews and staying on top of fashion trends. According to September 2015 research, these social media activities influence their shopping behavior.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) polled 22,618 digital buyers ages 18 and older. Respondents had shopped online at least once in the past year. Nearly half (45%) of digital buyers worldwide said that reading reviews, comments and feedback on social media influenced their digital shopping behavior. Some 44% of respondents also said that receiving promotional offerings also influenced their shopping behavior.
Other social media activities such as viewing ads, staying on top of current fashion and product trends, as well as purchasing products directly via a social channel also influenced digital shopping behavior.
Indeed, consumers are increasingly turning to social media not only to be inspired, but to also buy products from. Buy buttons, which have been gaining prominence throughout 2015, are helping drive sales.
But despite all the major social networks testing or implementing them in some form, fewer than half of US retailers were using them as of August 2015, according to email marketing firm Campaigner.
Courtesy of eMarketer
