Social media 'increasingly important in ecommerce'

12/11/2008

A recent study has found that social media is proving to be a key ecommerce tool.

According to Guidance, email was considered the best way to find bargains on the internet during the credit crunch.

However, "social actions" are becoming increasingly important to shoppers, with 17 per cent of people saying that they find good deals through links forwarded by friends, the survey found.

A further nine per cent said that the comments made by other shoppers on a retail site, such as product reviews or other feedback methods, were influential in their shopping habits.

Jon Provisor, CTO and owner of Guidance, said: "Two years ago, social media wasn’t even considered a source of traffic by merchants."

He added that today, "nearly 30 per cent of consumers cite some form of social action" as the best way they can discover bargains and discounts on the internet".

According to the American Chronicle, ecommerce is thriving despite the slowing of the economy.