Report: Social networkers are shoppers, too

Social networkers aren't just trying to make friends online. They are also looking for good shopping deals, according to a recent comScore report. The report indicates that about 95% of "heavy" social network users also visited an etailing hub in August.

by Kristina Knight

Comparatively only about 80% of the general US online population visited an online shopping hub during the reporting period.

This is the second such study that comScore has conducted. The 2006 version returned very similar results, leading researchers to draw the conclusion that social networkers are also shoppers.

"Visitors to social networking sites are more receptive to online advertising for leisure-oriented retail categories,” said comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni. “There appears to be a natural synergy between the leisure categories and social networking sites. People typically enjoy sharing their experiences with these products, whether it’s to talk about their new iPhone or the pair of designer jeans they just bought. Social networking sites offer the venue for those conversations to occur.”

Of specific interest were so-called leisure shopping hubs. "Leisure" hubs are those which feature entertainment - tickets, movie or book information - items, fashion buys or technology staples such as computer software or hardware or consumer electronics.

This study sheds light on which advertisers should focus on social network advertising. Giving consumers information about a new product or the ability to quickly buy tickets or research movie times is likely to lead to a higher conversion rate.