E-commerce influenced by social media usage

Monday, March 4, 2013 - 11:38 by Graham Miller

A variety of studies have shown that the growth in the use of social networking sites, perpetuated in part by smartphone ownership increases, is having a marked effect on how consumers buy products online.

The most recent of these reports, published by Conlumino, found that 49 per cent of consumers have taken advantage of a social media service to engage with a retailer.

There is the potential for this group to be even larger, since 69 per cent of those questioned in the study said that they regularly use a social networking site of some kind.

While two thirds of respondents said that they do not use customer reviews to direct their buying habits and instruct them on the quality of a product, a growing group of customers does indeed take this tact.

The influence of friends, family and the people you follow through social networks might play a bigger role than you think in dictating the shape of your next shopping spree, according to the report.

Spokesperson, Guy Chiswick, said that the growth of social media was causing e-commerce companies to take note of these new channels and adapt to better commune with customers.

In turn, these social tools make it easier for consumers to carry out safe shopping online while they are on the move, as well as providing retailers with plenty of data on shopping habits and what approaches are the most effective.

While there are still some experts who downplay the impact of social media, because it can be hard to find reliable metrics which specifically identify its impact, the alternative view is that sites like Facebook and Twitter are far more influential than we know. And with smartphone sales showing no sign of slowing, this importance is likely to grow.