Expert: How social will impact holidays & beyond

About half of American shoppers will be influenced to buy something for the holidays because of an ad seen on social media. That's a key finding from Smartly.io's new report, which also found that over half of shoppers (57%) say social media is helpful to them in sourcing gift ideas. We're diving deeper into the report with Smartly.io's Robert Rothschild.

by Kristina Knight

Kristina: How will consumers use social media to shop this year?

Robert Rothschild, VP & Global Head of Marketing, Smartly.io: Our findings show that 48 percent of holiday shoppers are considering purchasing from a social media ad this year; and of those planning to make a purchase, 40 percent said they are likely to spend at least $50. In other words, roughly half of your target audience is open to making purchases through social media. There's money to be made on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, and brands should be leveraging paid campaigns on those platforms.

Kristina: Consumers today get bombarded with so many ads - which platforms are best at providing relevant ads that break through?

Robert: It's getting increasingly difficult to capture consumer attention and ad fatigue is becoming a real problem -- which is why serving up ads that are relevant and refreshed often to each individual is key. According to our findings, 61 percent of U.S. consumers expect Facebook and Instagram to show the most relevant ads this holiday season, and another 57 percent expect those ads to be higher quality than any other network. The standards are high for Pinterest as well, with 9 percent expecting that platform to display the best holiday ads.

Kristina: What verticals are most successful in paid holiday social ads?

Robert: Consumers are more likely to convert on ads that are visually appealing and tell a story. That's why Apparel and Beauty, the more visual categories, have traditionally thrived on paid social because images and video can easily show the product's top selling points. However, our research found that electronics are also seeing success on social media. Apparel and Accessories (17 percent) and Electronics (15 percent) top the list for categories that U.S. consumers are most likely to purchase through social media ads, followed by Beauty/Wellness (11 percent) and Home Goods (10 percent).

Kristina: What opportunity there is for marketers to leverage social more effectively?

Robert: Brands that understand and invest in creative of social media ads are likely to see the greatest return on ad spend this holiday season. In our research, 35 percent of consumers said that an ad with engaging video, animation or imagery was a top influence when deciding whether to buy a product from a social media ad. However, marketers walk a fine line, as they must also ensure their ads blend into the user experience and seem native to the platform and are unobtrusive as possible. Those that can master this balance will find themselves celebrating a successful holiday season in the new year.

More holiday data from Smartly.io can be accessed here.

Tags: advertising, ecommerce, m:commerce, mobile marketing, Smartly.io, social commerce, social marketing, social marketing trends