Pinterest is the social network most likely to drive spontaneous purchasing, whereas Twitter and Facebook users are more likely to make social media-related purchases of products they were already considering, according to a recent report by Vision Critical.
Asked whether they were already thinking of buying an item when they favorited it, 29% of surveyed Pinterest purchasers said no, compared with just 16% for Facebook and 9% for Twitter.
Below, additional key findings from the report, From Social to Sale, which was based on a survey of 5,657 consumers in the US, Canada, and the UK.
In-Store Purchasing vs. Online
Overall, four in 10 social media users have purchased an item after sharing or favoriting it, with roughly equal amounts of online and in-store purchasing across Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Time Between Favoriting and Purchase
- Half of social media-related purchasing take place within one week of sharing or favoriting the ultimately purchased item.
- Three weeks after sharing, more than 80%of social media-inspired purchases will have been made.
Popular Topics by Network
- People turn to Pinterest for DIY, crafts, food and drink, and fashion and beauty; they look to Facebook for humor and human-interest stories.
- Arts and entertainment are a consistent draw across all of Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.
About the Research: The data in the report was drawn from online surveys conducted over 17 months (February 2012 to June 2013). In total, 5,657 interviews about social media purchasing were conducted across the US, Canada, and the UK.
