Consumers are spending more time than ever using social media, according to Nielsen and NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey company. And social media seem to be quite influential. In fact, 63 percent of survey respondents say their "preferred" way of learning about products and services is from consumer ratings. Some 62 percent say their preferred method of learning about products is from consumer reviews.
About 60 percent of consumers researching products through multiple online sources learned about a specific brand or retailer through social networking sites, Nielsen says.
Active social media users are more likely to read product reviews online, and three out of five create their own reviews of products and services. Women are more likely than men to tell others about products that they like (81 percent of females vs. 72 percent of males). Overall, consumer-generated reviews and product ratings are the most preferred sources of product information among social media users.
