How much influence does social media have on buying behaviour?

How much influence does social media have on buying behaviour?

MUMBAI: A recent study by Regalix reveals that 91% of people with a smartphone, in the age group 18-44, have a social media app or account on their mobile phone. The study is titled ‘M-Social media trends 2017’.

According to the study, 58% of respondents checked updates on their social media account multiple times a day, and contrary to what we would have expected, a larger percentage (76%) of the 25 – 34 year olds did so, as compared to the 18 - 24 year olds (50%). Going by the research, Facebook is by far the most popular social app on mobile.

There’s some good news for advertisers here. According to the study, majority of respondents (86%) admitted to clicking on ads that appeared on social media. In addition, 89% also said they followed their favorite brands.

So, how much influence does social media have on the buying behaviour of consumers?

According to the study, a significantly large number of respondents (65%) admitted to habitually using social media to help them in their purchase decisions. And, 84% said they shared products that they purchased on their profile at least sometimes. Those are figures, among others in the study, that marketers would benefit from while deciding on their brand communication strategy for 2017.