Report: Consumers not yet prepared to purchase via socnets

Along with research specialists Maximiles, GSI Commerce surveyed over 2,000 British adults to discover more about their willingness and expectations to purchase gifts online during the coming Christmas shopping season.

Overall, the news is good. A quarter of those surveyed were willing to spend over $1,650 on a single product, up from 12% last year, and less are putting a limit on the amount they spend online.

However, the survey found that consumers weren't yet prepared to purchase via social networks. Just 9% said they would be "likely" to make purchases via social sites such as Facebook or MySpace and 28% were "positively unlikely" to do so.

"Social networks are fantastic forums to listen and engage with your customers but, as the data reveals, at the moment, in the vast majority of cases, they are simply inappropriate for transactional interactions," said Steve Davis, EVP & President, International GSI Commerce.

"While there is no doubt that incorporating features like these will result in a corporate PR benefit to a retailer, the question they need to be asking is not 'what cool stuff can we add to our store' but 'where can we add value for our customers'."

Tags: e-commerce, online shopping, social marketing, social networks