News

Social media report looks at shoppers

Interactions' report investigates the impact social media has on purchase behaviors.

May 1, 2015

Interactions, a company providing services and experiential marketing for retailers, has recently completed a study examining the connection between purchase behavior and social media. According to Interactions' latest Retail Perceptions report most shoppers want stores to interact with them through social media. Over 75 percent of social media users expect retailers to have a social media presence, and 42 percent prefer to shop at retailers that connect with them through social media over ones retailers that do not, according to the report.

"Even with the popularity of social media today, many retailers still wonder if connecting with shoppers on social media can translate into income," Lance Eliot, Interactions' vice president of information technology, said in a release. "It may surprise these retailers to know that social media not only influences purchase behaviors, social media can teach retailers ways to engage, attract and retain customers."

Interactions' report also found that 66 percent of users visited a store as a result of a social media post from the retailer. In addition, 58 percent of users have been introduced to new retailers through social media, with more than half of those users visiting three or more new retailers. The report also highlights that 65 percent of users follow their favorite retailers on social media, 43 percent have shared a retailer's post and 88 percent want retailers to connect with them directly through social media.