Social Media's Growing Influence on Shoppers Revealed in a Study From Publicis and Twitter

Findings in the study quotLetsTalkShopquot were somewhat surprising and help answer some important questions for marketers They relate to how social media39s influence has eclipsed ecommerce site reviews how brand conversations have the power to change minds and impact consideration to buy and Twitter39s role in brand awarenessquotAll the platforms have a role in social commerce to move someone from discovery to purchase The trick is understanding why you39re investing in social for commercequot explained Amy Lanzi Chief Operating Officer of Publicis Commerce in discussing the report It involved 9600 respondents and focused on six leading social platforms across the US the UK India and MexicoTo appreciate the importance of the study consider that the average daily time spent on social media platforms in the US has reached over two hours according to eMarketer That39s a big reason why Publicis conducts research about each social platform that it uses YouTube TikTok and Snap have been the focus of past reports and each brings unique benefits and possible applications to the shopping experience Lanzi noted That39s also true for Twitter the most specific topic of the latest study But it also drove home a broader understanding of conversations on social mediaOne of its more striking insights relates to the impact of social media conversations on purchase decision making Social brand conversation is replacing traditional reviews The research showed that 92 of the people surveyed actively seek out comments about brands products or services on social media Social conversation was found to be more impactful than a more traditional online review on AmazonThe study also made clear that Twitter serves a specific purpose for brands quotTwitter can be used to seed your message in the marketplace so consumers understand why your brand is a better choice and how that brand serves the customerquot Lanzi saidThe research pointed out that it39s not just what is said about a brand on Twitter but how it sounds That may seem counterintuitive when we think of opinions expressed more generally on the platform However 86 of quotvery positivequot conversations were considered memorable by the study39s respondents whereas only 49 of quotvery negativequot conversations were considered memorableIt also showed that three in four brand conversations result in more positive brand sentiment And 60 of purchasers who recalled a conversation on Twitter said it made them much more likely to consider the product they ultimately boughtBrand voice takes on a whole new meaning with Twitter Lanzi noted quotThe question brands must answer is 39What is your voice and how is your voice morphed by the platform39quotBy considering that brands can figure out what they should be talking about on Twitter to help cut through the noise One solution is to craft messages quotin a way that is either a surprise or delight and help the consumer as a brand of service to feel better about themselves and make better brand choicesquot she saidIt pays to get consumers talking and listening early and often The study showed that 71 of respondents felt they are more likely to consider brand conversations before a purchase journey begins However while the data shows the influence of brand conversation is high before or early in a purchase journey it decays over timeThe implication Lanzi noted is to think old school upper funnel and use Twitter to amplify brand awareness quotIf you are always on and you always have this positive narrative when it is time for me to actually make my purchase your brand is what is top of mindquot she explainedAnother finding might seem counterintuitive Regardless of whether a tweet came from a wellknown person or an everyday person more than half of shoppers found the conversation equally impactful quotSocial proof matters from someone you want to follow but the notion that it has to be a power celebrity is brokenquot Lanzi said She noted that people like to follow others who are similar to themselvesAt the same time three in four respondents said that they trust what they see from and about brands on social platforms What39s clear from this research is that Twitter39s role is early in the purchase journey and provides brands the opportunity to start the conversation and lead the narrativeRead more about this research and other social commerce research Publicis has conducted hereClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Social Media's Growing Influence on Shoppers Revealed in a Study From Publicis and Twitter

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Joanne Tombrakos

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Social Media's Growing Influence on Shoppers Revealed in a Study From Publicis and Twitter

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