As brands scramble to keep up with new shopper behaviors, it’s important to examine where these shoppers are getting information before their final purchase decision. We asked 6,000 shoppers a few questions about how social media figures into their shopping strategy as part of the launch of our new Shopper Influence Research program. Our CEO Rebecca Brooks writes about our findings and their implications for brands in her latest article for Forbes, “How Shoppers Are Using Social Media.” Here are some key insights from her article.

About two-thirds of shoppers use social media as part of their shopping strategy.

When examining specific platforms and their impact, our study found that YouTube still dominates when it comes to influencing final purchase decisions, with Facebook and Instagram following closely behind. Influencers on these platforms still play a major role in decision making, with a third of shoppers turning to them in order to learn more. 

Social media usage in the shopping journey varies widely by generation.

Only 23 percent of Boomers told us that they turn to social platforms for shopping, compared to more than three quarters of Millennials and Gen Z. Facebook is least popular among younger shoppers: Gen Z is more likely to pay attention to Snapchat, TikTok, or Instagram. We also found that shoppers are using social media sources later in their shopping journey, consulting these platforms when they are closer to making a decision. 

“The shopping environment is ripe for social media to take a pole position.”

Rebecca writes about how brands need to engage with their audiences on these platforms, and pursue adaptable strategies that will keep up with current consumer needs and demands. Her advice:

• Focus on advertising that meets audience members on the platforms that they use most
• Understand the content they want to see
• Make content that is easy to share and engage with among users. 

She concludes with: “The brands that will be successful in the space are those who begin setting adaptive, research-driven strategies now to stay ahead of the curve.”

Are you ready to find out what your audiences are doing on social media before they buy?

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