Curalate research highlights rise of social shopping
UK consumers are 79% more likely today to discover new products on social media than they were just two years ago, according to research by Curalate.
Its survey of 2,000 people shows this shift is largely driven by Instagram (there has been a 64% increase in shoppers finding inspiration on this platform). More than one third of Brits said they visit a brand’s social media feed explicitly for the purpose of being inspired by the products and content featured there.
62% said their main aims when they go shopping are to stumble across products they never knew existed, as well as buying what’s on their shopping list. When they spot a product that catches their eye, 77% are motivated to find out more.
While consumers said they are discovering products on social more often, they’re still as hesitant today to make an impulse buy via social as they were two years ago. Only 8% are ready to buy immediately after discovering a product (up from 4.5% in 2017). 72% said they still need to research a product and brand, often citing the need to browse additional items in a brand’s product catalogue before making a purchase.
59% of consumers are also impacted in positive ways after seeing customers’ pictures from a brand’s Instagram feed on its website, including spending more time browsing and purchasing new products.
Celebrities, however, appear to be having little sway with the public. The research showed that over double the number of people discovered products they were interested in buying on a micro-influencer or blogger’s social media account, compared with one belonging to a household name.
