The Power of Social Shopping and Influencer Commerce for Brands

As a content consultancy, we're always on the lookout for the latest trends and insights that can help businesses grow and succeed. That's why we were excited to come across a new survey from Sprout Social, Inc. that reveals just how many consumers are making purchases via social shopping and/or influencers.

According to the survey, an overwhelming 98% of consumers planned to make at least one purchase through social shopping or influencer commerce in 2022. That's a huge number, and it underscores the growing importance of these strategies for brands that want to increase sales and brand awareness.

The survey also revealed some other interesting findings. For example, close to half (47%) of surveyed consumers say they plan to use shopping features within a platform, such as Instagram Shops, Facebook Shops, or TikTok Shopping. This was most prevalent among respondents age 25-40 (65%) and least prevalent among respondents 57-75 (23%). So if your brand is targeting younger consumers, it's important to consider these shopping features and make sure you're visible on these platforms.

Another key takeaway is that millennials are especially drawn to social media shopping. According to a recent survey from CouponFollow, almost eight in 10 (78%) millennial consumer respondents now follow brands on social media. More than half (54%) admit their shopping habits are most influenced by Facebook (28%) and Instagram (27%). TikTok is the main social media platform shaping the shopping habits of 12% of all millennials and 16% of younger millennials aged 25-29. This shows the importance of having a strong social media presence and engaging with your audience on these platforms.

The Sprout Social survey also revealed relatively high levels of consumer intent to engage with a variety of leading-edge shopping technologies during 2023, including watching livestreams (49%) and using voice search (25%). More surveyed consumers and marketers will also engage with retailers through augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) or extended reality (XR) technologies like the metaverse. This shows that brands that embrace these technologies and offer innovative shopping experiences can stand out and attract more customers.

Of course, there are also some challenges and concerns that brands need to be aware of. For example, more than six in 10 (63%) surveyed consumers are concerned about zero-party data (data they provide willingly) while shopping online. This includes 36% who strongly agree they are concerned and 27% who agree. Another 28% neither agree nor disagree, while only a combined 8% disagree (5%) or strongly disagree (3%). This shows that brands need to be transparent and respectful of consumers' data privacy.

Overall, the survey from Sprout Social highlights the power of social shopping and influencer commerce for brands. By embracing these strategies and keeping up with the latest technologies and trends, brands can increase their sales and connect with consumers in new and exciting ways. So if you haven't already, it's time to start thinking about how you can leverage these strategies to grow your brand and reach more customers.