by Marketing Charts
About one-third (34%) of US consumers follow brands they like on social media, while about 1 in 5 (18%) follow brands they are thinking of buying something from. So says a report [download page] from GWI.
The Q2-Q3 2020 survey of more than 51,000 US internet users found that social media users have mixed feelings about the channel. About one-quarter (24%) say they are using social media less than they used to, while some 23% say they worry that they spend too much time on social media. And, although one-quarter (24%) feel that social media is good for society, another one-fifth (18%) believe that using social media causes them anxiety.
Staying in touch with what friends are doing is the top reason respondents use social media, with half giving this as one of the main reasons for going on the platforms. They also use social media to find funny and entertaining content (36%) or to fill up spare time (36%).
Separately, GWI found that about 3 in 10 Millennials use social media in order to find or research products to buy. Indeed, this report, which covers results from internet users ages 16-64, found that 20% in the US (23% globally) had followed or liked a brand on social media in the past month. Some 20% of respondents in the US (22% globally) also report that they visited a brand’s social network page in the past month, while 16% had used a brand’s networking “share” button. Another 13% say they have clicked on a sponsored post on social. And, fortunately for brands, only 11% say they have unliked/stopped following a brand on social.
Research from Sprout Social found that close to 6 in 10 consumers follow brands on social in order to learn about new products and services. However, when it comes to brand and product discovery, GWI found that ads seen on TV (38%), word-of-mouth recommendations (36%) and search engines (34%) were the most-cited channels for discovery.
Also, the top drivers for purchasing online include free delivery (66%), coupons and discounts (51%) and an easy returns policy (41%). These same drivers were at the top of the list for global Gen X consumers when considering making a purchase online.
Article originally appeared on Marketing Charts.
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