‘Town square’ triumph; social shopping interest rises 38% in 12 months

16^th April 2019 – London – New research published by Bazaarvoice finds the number of consumers who place high importance on the ability to discover and purchase directly through social media platforms, such as Instagram Facebook, and Pinterest has risen by 38% in 12 months.

According to the survey of more than 2,000 consumers across the UK, US, France and Germany, one third of UK consumers now express the ability to discover and buy products is of critical importance to their experience of social platforms.

This comes in the aftermath of Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement of a shift in focus for Facebook, moving from the News Feed to encrypted, ephemeral messaging — or as he put it, from the town square to the living room.

Social shake-up

The report also gathers insights from 500 of Bazaarvoice’s clients globally. Of the UK brands and retailers surveyed, 91% agreed that visual content makes for a more engaging shopping experience. Moreover, respondents also referenced additional benefits, such as; enhanced discoverability (86%), deepened brand trust (77%), and increased conversion (73%).

Another recent evolution in Mark Zuckerberg’s conglomerate saw Instagram add in-app checkout as part of its big push into shopping, offering brands a huge opportunity to release a visually rich customer journey entirely based in the app.

Importantly, visual content created and shared through social platforms carries huge value to brands in the wider ecosystem. 27% of UK-based clients reported featuring visual content from social media on product pages, and more than half (53%) say they plan to in the near future.

Commenting on the findings, Joe Rohrlich, CRO, Bazaarvoice said; “The retail landscape has continued to shift over the last year, as modern consumers seek unique shopping experiences, new engagement and purchase channels and an increased level of brand and product transparency and authenticity. Brands and retailers that recognize these evolving preferences and deliver informative, interactive experiences online and offline can both retain their existing customers and attract new ones.”

These insights have been launched as part of Bazaarvoice’s annual Shopper Experience Index which provides a detailed view of the ways consumers connect with brands and retailers today – and what leading marketers are doing to succeed now and over the coming year.

To view and download the full Shopper Experience Index, visit: www.bazaarvoice.com/uk/shopper-experience-index/.