Social Shopping: reaching the 50% that aren’t buying

October 6, 2010

“The key to social commerce is understanding the roles of the social consumer and the parts they play in the grand production of your marketplace.”[1]

By 2012, online retail sales in the UK are predicted to hit £44.9bn.

And social is changing the way we shop.

In 2007, Gartner identified two types of online shoppers: hunters and gatherers; those who shopped on price and those who researched products online before making their purchase decision.

Traditionally, online retailers have catered towards the hunters. They’ve recruited customers via search and retained them via email marketing. Price has often been the deciding factor: these customers have already decided what they want to buy.

In August 2010, immediate future surveyed 2,000 UK internet users. As a social media agency, it’s important to us that we really understand how people behave online.

We found that nearly 50% of consumers are still in the consideration phase. They haven’t yet reached the point in the purchase cycle where they know what they want.

We also found that there are new opportunities for retaining customers post purchase.

Social retail is fundamentally changing the way that consumers shop, and the relationship between customer and brand. It is creating new opportunities for interaction that open up the consideration phase; and different ways of keeping the relationship going beyond the initial sale.

On the 12^th of October, immediate future will be sharing the results of this research at the Internet Retailing Conference. We will reveal:

How social retail is transforming the customer journey for online shoppers
How different types of online shoppers behave along the purchase process
Motivations to buy and incentives to return for online shoppers
How online shoppers are talking across social spaces
How online shoppers would like to engage with the top online retailers

If you’d like to reserve a copy of this report, please click here https://www.immediatefuture.co.uk/resources/social-shopping-explosion

[1] https://www.briansolis.com/2010/09/the-decline-of-asocial-shopping-and-the-rise-of-social-commerce/

Latest Posts

LinkedIn’s recent research into what its audience is looking for shows a cry for more creativity from CMOs – they see marketing for what it really is, and they aren’t overly impressed. While voices on the platform want to network, others want to learn and be entertained.

The social media world never sits still, and as 2025 edges closer, we’re looking at some big shifts that could shape how brands show up online. From AI wizardry to shopping without leaving your favourite apps, here’s what’s coming to a platform near you—and why it matters. Facebook Gets Smarter…

When it comes to shooting food products for a social media campaign, every detail counts. From creating visually appealing content to aligning with the client’s vision, it’s a balance of artistry and efficiency. Here you will find some tips for planning and executing a successful food product shoot.