By Jeanne Hurlbert
New survey results from ComScore tell a dramatic story about the influence social media is wielding this holiday shopping season–and it’s a story to which smart retailers are paying attention.
The survey results estimate that social media has influenced fully 28% of holiday shoppers this year–that’s more than 1 in 4. Product reviews from other consumers apparently held the most sway.
The full import of this can be seen in a statement made by ComScore’s chair: “We are getting our first real glimpse at the impact social media will play on commerce as we enter the next decade.”
J.C. Penney Co. and Eastman Kodak Co. are among the retailers using Facebook to tap into the increased level of “social shopping.” J.C. Penney’s Facebook fan page boasts more than 600,000 fans; their Twitter followers number a more modest 3,200. Kodak has only47,000 Facebook fans but more than 13,000 Twitter followers.
Kodak offers a Facebook app that lets users share pictures and create albums; Penney’s fan page encourages users to share recommendations and gift-buying stories.
Facebook and Nielsen have teamed to help companies measure the ROI of these sorts of campaigns, in a new program called Brand Lift.
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