Social commerce statistics
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Financial services
83% of consumers say it would be important to read user-generated content before making a decision about banking or other financial services.
Kelton Research/Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
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Financial services »
How brands use social
93% of those surveyed said that customer insight development was an important tool to prioritize in future DMP applications.
ClickZ.com, November, 2012
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How brands use social »
How consumers contribute
Visitors who read consumer packaged goods reviews have a 6 percent higher average order value than visitors who don’t read reviews.
"The Conversation Index Vol. 1", Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
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How consumers contribute »
Retail and travel
40% of personal travelers and 46% business travelers use social networking to share travel experience.
"Think Insights", Google, January, 2013
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Retail and travel »
The conscious consumer
40% of US smartphone owners compare prices on their mobile device while in-store shopping for an item.
Comscore, January, 2011
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The conscious consumer »
The gender gap
75% of women say ads on social networks don't encourage them to purchase
Media Post News, September, 2009
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The gender gap »
Trust
Consumer reviews are significantly more trusted -- nearly 12 times more -- than descriptions that come from manufacturers, according to a survey of US mom Internet users by online video review site EXPO.
eMarketer, February, 2010
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Trust »
Word of mouth
The number of user-generated content creators will reach 114.5 million in 2013, up from 82.5 million in 2008. That will translate to 51.8% of US Internet users in 2013, up from 42.8% in 2008.
eMarketer, January, 2009
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Word of mouth »
- Financial services
- How brands use social
- How consumers contribute
- Retail and travel
- The conscious consumer
- The gender gap
- Trust
- Word of mouth
- 83% of consumers say it would be important to read user-generated content before making a decision about banking or other financial services.
- Kelton Research/Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- 26% of consumers would never choose a bank without reading at least one piece of user-generated content.
- Kelton Research/Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- 27% of consumers would never open an insurance policy without reading at least one piece of user-generated content.
- Kelton Research/Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- 30% of consumers would never choose an insurance provider without reading at least one piece of user-generated content.
- Kelton Research/Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- 32% of consumers would never choose a healthcare provider without reading at least one piece of user-generated content.
- Kelton Research/Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Financial Services saw the highest portion of reviews that mention "customer service" at 17%.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1" Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Contributors who have been customers for 10+ years write about 30% more content than first-year customers.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 2" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- 77% of long-term customers say they would recommend their financial firms to others – they’re the second largest segment of promoters for these types of firms.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 2", Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- 32% of total product reviews come from financial customers.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 2" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- Financial customers for 20+ years rate financial products less favorably than new customers. Those who have been customers for less than a year rate products 8% more positively than these long-tenured clients.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 2" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- "Easy" is found in 16% of FinServ reviews.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1" Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- 44% of millennials say they would not purchase insurance without referencing others' opinions.
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- 93% of those surveyed said that customer insight development was an important tool to prioritize in future DMP applications.
- ClickZ.com, November, 2012
- 78% of study correspondents saw gaining customer insights as a useful application for DMPs.
- ClickZ.com, November, 2012
- 52% of companies surveyed found DMPs' ability to integrate digital and traditional data as a useful skill set for the platform.
- ClickZ.com, November, 2012
- Social media spending will leap by 34% by 2014, while mobile marketing will jump by 27%.
- Forrester, December, 2009
- Social networks and blogs are the fourth most popular online activities, beating personal email. 67% of global users visit member communities and 10% of all time spent on the internet is spent on social media sites.
- Econsultancy, December, 2009
- Facebook is now the fourth most visited site in the world; two years ago it didn’t register in the top ten.
- TechCrunch, December, 2009
- Of 10 social marketing tools studied, five are already in use by at least half of the companies surveyed. 86% have a Facebook fan page; 65% use Twitter; 55% publish product reviews; 55% blog; and 50% produce video or consumer-submitted video.
- Etailing survey of 117 companies, September, 2009
- 86 percent of US online retailers have Facebook fan pages.
- GOOD Magazine, March, 2010
- The highest performing businesses use consumer insights in 80 percent of sales and merchandising.
- GOOD Magazine, March, 2010
- Majority of consumers (74 percent) rely on social networks to guide purchase decisions.
- Gartner, July, 2010
- Social media in the UK: A visitor coming from a social media site is ten times more likely to make a purchase online than an average visitor- 7 percent vs 71 percent.
- Simply Zesty, December, 2010
- Shoppers from Twitter have the highest average order value – $121.33 – of all shoppers who visit directly from Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 3" Bazaarvoice, March, 2012
- 9 out 10 CMOs say social data has influenced decisions.
- "The CMO Club, Chief Customer advocate: How social data elevates CMOs" Bazaarvoice, July, 2012
- Almost 1/2 of CMOs have used social to make predictions, forecasts.
- "The CMO Club, Chief Customer advocate: How social data elevates CMOs" Bazaarvoice, July, 2012
- 69 percent of companies using Web 2.0 have gained measurable business benefits.
- McKinsey Quarterly, September, 2009
- Brands w/ highest "social media activity" (includes reviews) increased revenues by as much as 18 percent.
- Media Post News, July, 2009
- 67 percent of B2C companies and 42 percent of B2B companies have acquired a customer through Facebook
- Hubspot, December, 2011
- The number of marketers who say Facebook is "critical" or "important" to their business has increased 83 percent in just 2 years.
- Hubspot, December, 2011
- Visitors who read consumer packaged goods reviews have a 6 percent higher average order value than visitors who don’t read reviews.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1" Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Consumer packaged goods UGC has the highest average sentiment among industries with 4.68 out of 5. This is 11 percent above the cross-industry average.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1" Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- In a study of a major electronics retailer site of 30,000 monthly natural language search visitors, converted 60 percent more often, spent 50 percent more, and viewed 82 percent more pages than search visitors to other pages.
- Bazaarvoice case study with major electronics retailer, June, 2012
- Online consumers are becoming precision shoppers. For every $1 spent online, $5.77 is influenced in store.
- Macy's CEO, December, 2009
- The number of user-generated content creators will reach 114.5 million in 2013, up from 82.5 million in 2008. That will translate to 51.8 percent of US Internet users in 2013, up from 42.8 percent in 2008.
- eMarketer, December, 2009
- 84 percent of millennials say user-generated content has at least some influence on what they buy (compared to 70 percent of Boomers).
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands", Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- Parents’ feedback contained language that was 81 percent positive; those who identify themselves as "not parents" had only 61 percent positive sentiment, with 31 percent neutral sentiment.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 4" Bazaarvoice, June, 2012
- Boomers also contribute 45 percent of the total online product opinions, falling exactly in line with the population.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 4" Bazaarvoice, June, 2012
- When we look at consumers aged 18 to 65, Baby Boomers still make up the largest age group at 42 percent. Millennials and Gen X make up 34 and 24 percent of the population, respectively.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 4" Bazaarvoice, June, 2012
- Consumers generated more than 500 billion impressions about products and services, through social media in 2011.
- "Competitive Strategy In The Age Of The Customer" Forrester Research Inc., June, 2011
- 53 percent of people on Twitter recommend companies and/or products in their Tweets, with 48 percent of them delivering on their intention to buy the product.
- ROI Research for Performance, June, 2010
- 40% of personal travelers and 46% business travelers use social networking to share travel experience.
- "Think Insights" Google, January, 2013
- 45% of personal travelers and 54% of business travelers have made travel plans based on reviews and experience of others.
- "Think Insights" Google, January, 2013
- When deciding between 2 hotels, 65% of people say that seeing a management response would sway them to book with the responding hotel.
- Forrester, January, 2013
- 32% of business travelers post reviews of places they’ve been.
- "Think Insights" Google, January, 2013
- Travelers are most highly influenced at ZMOT (99%), looking at 10.2 sources of info online before booking travel.
- "Zero Moment of Truth" Google, March, 2011
- Social networks remain the top destination online. 60% of people who use 3 or more digital means of researching products learned about a Retailer through a FB or Twitter post.
- "Social Media Report", Nielsen, October, 2011
- Retailers average a 4.2 rating out of 5 with the average review consisting of 66 words. Mass merchants average a 4.3 rating with the average review consisting of 58 words.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1", Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Sentiment in the Travel vertical spikes in the Summer travel season.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1" Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Travel spending by millennials rose 20% in 2010, making them the fastest-growing age segment for travel (Morrissey, Janet. "The Millennials Check In." The New York Times. March 2012.)
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- Currently age 17-34, millennials have greatest lifetime value of any generation in travel market. (Dorsey, Jason. The Center for Generational Kinetics. July 2012.)
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- 39% of millennials say they would not choose a hotel without referencing others' opinions.
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- 32% of millennials say they would not purchase travel accommodations without referencing others' opinions.
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, December, 2012
- Retailers average a 4.2 rating out of 5 with the average review consisting of 66 words. Mass merchants average a 4.3 rating with the average review consisting of 58 words.
- "Conversation Index" Bazaarvoice, April, 2011
- 40% of US smartphone owners compare prices on their mobile device while in-store shopping for an item.
- Comscore, January, 2011
- 33% of consumers would never buy a small electronic item, such as a cell phone or music player, without reading at least one piece of user-generated content.
- Kelton Research/Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- 40% of consumers would never buy or lease a car without reading at least one piece of user-generated content.
- Kelton Research/Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- 73% of consumers say it would be important to read user-generated content before making a decision about purchasing food.
- Kelton Research/Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- 51% of consumers would never buy a large electronic item, such as a TV or computer, without reading at least one piece of user-generated content.
- Kelton Research/Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- In 2013, nearly 155 million US Internet users will consume some form of user-generated content, up from almost 116 million in 2008.
- eMarketer, January, 2009
- 64% of consumers have made a first purchase from a brand because of a digital experience such as a web site, microsite, mobile coupon, or email. No other medium has so impacted the traditional marketing funnel.
- Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Study, January, 2009
- The average UK shopper spent £1,102 online in 2009, and the UK overall spent £38bn – more than any other European nation, accounting for almost a third of all online sales in Europe. Online shopping also made up 10% of all retail sales in the UK.
- The Independent, February, 2010
- For brand decisions, millennials are 262% more likely than average to be influenced by smartphone apps, 247% are more likely to be influenced by blogs or social networking, and 216% are more likely to be influenced by in-store touch screens.
- "Millennial Shoppers: Tapping into the Next Growth Segment" Times Trends research, June, 2012
- Nearly two-thirds of consumers (61%) use search engines to help them in their product research decisions leading up to purchase.
- Econsultancy, July, 2010
- According to Forrester, nearly 45% of European Internet users say that in the past three months they have researched a product online and then bought it in a shop.
- Forrester, March, 2009
- Over half (51%) of consumers are using the Internet before making a purchase in shops, educating themselves on the best deals available.
- Verdict Research, May, 2009
- By 2013, nearly 155 million US Internet users will consume some form of user-created content, up from almost 116 million in 2008.
- eMarketer, January, 2009
- Two or more channels are used by 78% of consumers to browse research and make purchases.
- ATG, March, 2010
- Most customer feedback comes from purchasers aged 35 to 65. But in-store buyers aged 19 to 24 are more likely to go online to give their feedback. The older the in-store shopper, the less likely to leave product feedback online.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 3" Bazaarvoice, March, 2012
- The average consumer today checks 10.4 information sources before buying. "
- "Social Trends Report 2012", Bazaarvoice, June, 2012
- Consumers who research across online, offline, and mobile channels spend 18-36% more than those who don’t.
- "Social Trends Report 2012", Bazaarvoice, June, 2012
- Over half (58%) of millennials are even willing to pay higher prices when part of their spend goes to help causes they support.
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- 63% of millennials say that knowing a company is "mindful of its social responsibilities" makes them more likely to buy from its brands.
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- Over half of millennials buy brands that reflect their style and personality.
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- By 2017, millennials – currently in their mid-teens to mid-30s – will have more spending power than any generation. Their reliance on social disrupts all areas of business.
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- Having "no way to get a specific question answered" tied "slow loading pages" as the most frequent issue consumers face when researching or buying online, with 44% of respondents encountering the problem at least somewhat frequently.
- "How We Shop", Econsultancy, January, 2010
- By 2014, 53% of total retail sales (online and offline) will be affected by the Web, as consumers increasingly use the Internet to research products before purchasing.
- Forrester, March, 2010
- Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the UK population have researched products/services online within the last 3 months.
- European Commission, May, 2010
- The average consumer today checks 10.4 information sources before buying.
- "Social Trends Report 2012", Bazaarvoice, June, 2012
- 70% of Americans say they look at reviews before taking the next step to conversion.
- "Zero Moment of Truth" Google, January, 2013
- 75% of women say ads on social networks don't encourage them to purchase
- Media Post News, September, 2009
- Women are more positive reviewers than men. The average rating for female-written reviews was 4.43 out of 5, as compared to the male average of 4.32.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1" Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Women contribute 84% of UGC in CPG.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1" Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Women who buy something in a store rate it four to five stars 87% of the time. Men assign four or five stars to products 80% of the time. Research underscores that men find online shopping an effective way to avoid the hassle of in-store shopping.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 3" Bazaarvoice, March, 2012
- Women are more positive than men (4.43 vs. 4.32 avg.).
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1", Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Women produce 60% of all UGC.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1" Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Consumer reviews are significantly more trusted -- nearly 12 times more -- than descriptions that come from manufacturers, according to a survey of US mom Internet users by online video review site EXPO.
- eMarketer, February, 2010
- When asked what sources "influence your decision to use or not use a particular company, brand or product" 71 percent claim reviews from family members or friends exert a "great deal" or "fair amount" of influence.
- Harris Interactive, June, 2010
- Over half of Millennials (consumers aged 18 to 34) trust the opinions of strangers online over those of friends and family.
- "Social Trends Report 2012", Bazaarvoice, June, 2012
- The number of user-generated content creators will reach 114.5 million in 2013, up from 82.5 million in 2008. That will translate to 51.8% of US Internet users in 2013, up from 42.8% in 2008.
- eMarketer, January, 2009
- 74% said "After interacting with companies or brands via new media, I generally have a more positive impression of the company or brand."
- Consumers Demand Brand Interaction, October, 2009
- 53% of UK online shoppers say retailers return generic, one-size-fits-all content in external searches.
- Retail Bulletin, September, 2009
- 1 in 5 reviews contain "love
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1" Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Reviews mentioning customer service have a 91% lower rating than average.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1", Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- Reviewers mention price more often when the Consumer Confidence Index and Dow Jones Industrial Average are low.
- "The Conversation Index Vol. 1" Bazaarvoice, September, 2011
- 51% of millennials say consumer opinions found on a company's web site have a greater impact on purchase decisions than recommendations from family and friends.
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- 73% of millennials think that other consumers care about their opinions more than companies do.
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- 84% of millennials say user-generated content has at least some influence on what they buy (compared to 70% of Boomers).
- "Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People over Brands" Bazaarvoice, January, 2012
- 60% of Retailers use customer reviews; 55% say reviews are a priority in the coming year.
- Shop.org, July, 2009
- Rubbermaid found that, when they added reviews to their free-standing inserts (ads included in newspapers), conversion for the coupons increased by 10%.
- "Rubbermaid Case Study" Bazaarvoice, August, 2010
- High product rating will increase likelihood of purchase for 55% of consumers.
- Econsultancy, July, 2010
- 83% of all holiday shoppers are influenced by customer reviews.
- "Consumer Shopping Habits Survey", ChannelAdvisor, August, 2010
- Most word of mouth is positive. Across all Bazaarvoice US clients, 80 percent of product ratings are 4 or 5 stars out of 5. Across all Bazaarvoice UK clients, 88 percent of product ratings are 4 or 5 stars out of 5.
- "J Curve", Bazaarvoice and Keller Fay, February, 2011
