Social Sharing as Helpful as Google Search in Shopping

A new study suggests social sharing of information and opinions about products on Facebook is both a mainstream activity and a significant influence on shopping behavior. The study, conducted by Sociable Labs, found that 62 percent of online shoppers have read product-related comments from their friends on Facebook. 


The top value to shoppers in reading social sharing is that it “helps them discover a product they might want to buy, the study suggests. 


About 75 percent of shoppers who read social sharing comments have clicked on the product link in their friends’ Facebook posts, taking them to the product page on a retailer’s website. Some 53 percent of the shoppers who have clicked through to the retailer’s site have made a purchase, the study found. 


A core reason for these actions is that shoppers see social sharing as one of the most helpful tools for finding the right product to buy, the study suggests. 


Some might say a key finding is that Google search and Facebook comments by friends are far and away the "most helpful" sources of information by respondents, rated about twice as helpful as advertising.