In all fairness this research was only performed in the Canadian market, but it seems logical that universal findings would prove similar.
Frequent online shoppers are people who are comfortable navigating the internet. Since social media and social networking tools are engaging, interactive elements of the web, people who use social media and other web 2.0 technologies probably spend more time online than those who simply visit static websites.
More time online… more online shopping?
The study also examines the direct effect that social networking has on online purchase decision-making:
Sixty percent of online buyers selected “consumer reviews” when asked to note their most trusted information source compared to 31 percent who indicated newspapers or magazines. “Consumers are increasingly turning to their online community or network for advice instead of traditional mass media,” said Jim Okamura, Senior Partner at J.C. Williams Group.
In an April ‘07 episode of Marketing Voices with Jennifer Jones, Charlene Li stated that in the very near future “social networking will be like air”.
As in… social networking will be everywhere. And if social networking is absent from a store during your purchasing decision, you may just find it suffocating.
Does anybody draw any other conclusions from this study?
