News

Consumers slow to follow social brands

Just 9% of consumers in the UK follow brands or retailers through social media with only 6% making a purchase through social platforms according to new research from Shoppercentric.

Overall 37% of shoppers said that they didn’t see the point of brands using social media and 18% said the same of retailers, suggesting that businesses have yet to make the most of the opportunities social media provides.

Key differences were found between brand and retailer engagement, with only 1 in 3 shoppers visiting brand websites, but 3 in 4 visiting retailer websites.

Consumers were most likely to want to connect through social media to find out something new (32%). Consumers were also happy for brands and retailers to connect with them and to sell to them, 12% of consumers wanted them to help them have more fun.

The biggest reason for consumers to follow a brand or retailer was to feel part of a group (32%) and to share thoughts with them (29%). Just 10% were attracted by discounts, vouchers or promotions and 6% joined to make a complaint.

“The use of social networking and mobile commerce in the business context is still in its early stages of development. There also seems to be a fundamental barrier in consumers/shoppers minds as to why they should communicate directly with a brand, or why a brand would want to communicate directly with them. That doesn’t mean they won’t communicate with brands, it simply means brands need to work much harder to set up and maintain the connection,” said Danielle Pinnington, managing director at Shoppercentric.

“Brands need to think hard about what they want to share, not just what they want to get out of the conversation. And they need to work on the basis they have to seek out these connections rather than assuming consumers/shoppers will come to them. Ultimately they need to create a social network space which generates curiosity in the brand, and gives a reason for visitors to keep coming back,” she said.

Lynsey Barber, London