There was a really interesting study last year by BabyCenter, an online community for expectant and new moms. The study called “21st Century Mom” found that new mothers gravitate to social media sites after having a child.
How moms are using the Internet and social media today:
- Social Mom: Social Media is Mass Media for Moms. The number of moms who use social media regularly has significantly increased from 11% to 63% since 2006. Forty-four percent use social media for word-of-mouth recommendations on brands and products and 73% feel they find trustworthy information about products and services through online communities focused on their specific interests such as parenting.
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Interesting data in the ForeSee Results 2010 Social Media Report. Some of the key findings in the study, which looked at nearly 10,000 visitors to the biggest e-retail websites in the United States, include:
- 56% of shoppers to top e-retail websites who interact with social media websites have elected to “friend” or “follow” or “subscribe” to a retailer on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. This is an amazing testament to customer loyalty and interest in social engagement. Shoppers are actually choosing to engage in relationships with retailers on social sites.
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It’s been a while since a story about social retailing has caught my eye. So I was interested to read an article on Adage titled “Online Shopping Goes From Solo Experience to Social Interaction“.
For those of you not familiar with the concept of social retailing, first a little background information. The consensus in the retailing world is that off-line shopping is a collaborative experience while shopping online is a solo endeavor, devoid of the interaction many consumers seek. You don’t get a group of people huddled around a computer monitor discussing whether an outfit would look good on someone. Read more... (516 words, 1 image, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)
We have written many articles on social retailing and how the social networks are changing how we make a purchase decision.
If you are a retailer the first step is to make yourself visible on the social networks. eMarketer reported that an August 2008 survey of Web merchants sponsored by Internet Retailer found that, of the 39.3% of retail respondents that use social networks, 32% have a page on Facebook, 27% on MySpace and 26% on YouTube.
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Bin Ends located just down the road in Braintree, Massachusetts is a discount online wine and spirits retailer who has started to stream live online videos of wine tastings with pros that consumers can view via the Twitter social network
To watch a live tasting all you need to is create a profile on Twitter, then receive notifications of upcoming events via the social network. The wine tastings also are promoted on the retailer’s web site and through social networking site Facebook. Read more... (316 words, 1 image, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)
Internet Retailer reports that shoppers with Facebook pages will no longer be restricted to only evangelizing about the latest products and talking trends with friends. Now they will be able to sell directly from their Facebook page.
BSocial Networks Inc. has launched a Facebook application called Market Lodge that allows Facebook users to create miniature e-commerce stores on their Facebook pages. Market Lodge allows Facebook users to select from 1,100 products from 50 retailers items to sell in their own shops. Read more... (238 words, 1 image, estimated 57 secs reading time)
It has been well documented that user-generated reviews (a social media tactic) can and will increase sales. Well now a SellPoint study conducted by Coremetrics found a significant increase in product purchases after online shoppers viewed audio/video tours of products.
The numbers from the study we really extraordinary:
- There was a 35 percent increase in the sales conversion rate among shoppers who viewed the tours vs. those who did not.
- Shoppers viewing the product tours spent more than 2.5 minutes, on average, engaged in viewing detailed product information about each product viewed.
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With the passing on Cyber Monday online retailers are in the home stretch for the holiday season. At this time of year there is always a flurry of news stories and these were a few that caught my eye via Internet Retailer:
Patagonia.com adds social tools to build brand and sales:
Patagonia.com started a blog earlier this year, called The Cleanest Line. The unedited blog is accessible on the site’s home page and provides a forum for discussing the company’s products, outdoor activities and environmental issues. I am not sure what an unedited blog is, but after the success that Roots Canada has had with its blog, it is not surprise that Patagonia has jumped into the field. Read more... (564 words, 1 image, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)
An interesting article on Clickz showed that Bath & Body increased sales by 10-12% after implementing customer feedbacks and reviews on their site.
Bath & Body Works specializes in fragrant beauty products for bath and body care, facial skincare, hair care and spa items. The company has an active customer base who is enthused about their products. The challenge was to convert this offline enthusiasm into something tangible online. Shannon Glass director of Internet operations put the challenge this way: Read more... (431 words, 1 image, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)
While some e-retailers are still figuring out what social networking is, and whether they want to be involved, Bodybuilding.com did not take a wait-and-see approach to social networking. A year ago it created its own social network called BodySpace, and the result has been an increase in brand awareness, traffic and sales. Read more... (376 words, 1 image, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)
