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One Third of Internet Users Swayed by Social Content
One in three internet users say that their purchase decisions are swayed by sites with social content, according to a January 2007 survey conducted by JupiterResearch for iProspect. The survey, which was commissioned to explore how consumers use social networking sites, defined a social networking site as one that allows users to post their own content, including sites with user-generated product reviews, such as Amazon.com.
The most popular social networking sites are frequented by 25% of internet users at least once a month, iProspect reports, and visitors arrive at the sites primarily through direct navigation and bookmarking. The study also shows that while less than 10% of the internet population visits niche social networks, they are a highly targeted and effective way of reaching very specific consumer groups.
Other findings:
* 72% of YouTube visitors primarily seek entertainment, while 49% of FaceBook users and 35% of MySpace users primarily seek networking opportunities.
* 56% of TripAdvisor visitors, 39% of Yahoo! Answers visitors, 39% of Craigslist visitors, and 32% of iVillage visitors actively research products or services.
* One out of three internet users turns to sites with user-generated content to help make a purchase decision.
* The majority of visitors to social networking sites (90%) don't post comments on the sites they visit.
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Regarding the comments--I recently spoke with an author who runs her own blog. She tells me that many people visit and they're reading, but these visitors prefer not to leave comments. Perhaps anonymity is being retained? I'd say so. Many of my readers behave in a similar manner.
Kelly Jad'on
www.BasilAndSpice.com
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