1、IntroductionOnline shopping continues to grow at a rapid pace, with e-commerce making up 10% of total retail sales worldwide and reaching $2.3 trillion, a 25 percent increase over the previous year (source: eMarketer). And though social media privacy and data issues continue to dominate our news fee
2、ds, users have been reluctant to give up their accounts. In fact, theyre using social media more than ever.In our inaugural social commerce survey conducted in 2016, we learned that Facebook was, by far, the most important channel for brands and retailers to utilize as they marketed on social media.
3、 But while Facebook remains king, its influence has seen a decline as users become less trusting of the major platform and its data practices. This skepticism has both its pros and cons as users become more aware of emerging social trends but less prone to use them to shop.To understand the burgeoni
4、ng but changing social landscape and how brands and retailers can effectively navigate the space to influence purchasing decisions and drive transactions, we conducted another in-depth survey to gain insights about how users interact with different social channels during the online shoppers journey.
5、Sample Size1,046 respondentsSurvey PeriodMay 2018DemographicsU.S. consumers ages 18 and over53% women, 47% menSurvey GoalsTo reevaluate social medias impact on consumer behavior and purchasing habits, as well as understand how emerging social platforms and technology can serve e-commerce brands and
6、retailers.The last two years have been a whirlwind for the social media space. Despite recent privacy and ethical concerns surroundingusers accounts, 81% of respondents say that they use social media regularly, which reflects no change since 2016.Though Facebook has received the bulk of the criticis
7、m, consumers remain loyal. The platform did see a drop in usage, with 67% of respondents stating that they use Facebook regularly comparedto 79% in 2016, though it still remains the most widely used platform by a long shot.Instagram saw an increase in usage, moving from 29% in 2016 to 38% in 2018 an
8、d making it the second most frequently used platform, while Snapchat nearly doubled in usage.4The Power of Social81%of respondents say they use social media regularly.Platform 2016 2018 % ChangeFacebook 79% 67% -15%Instagram 29% 38% 29%Snapchat 13% 25% 96%Pinterest 29% 24% -17%Twitter 25% 23% -10% o
9、f respondents that regularly use the following social media platformsInstagram saw an increase in usage making it the second most frequently used platform.as Snapchat nearly doubled in usage.2016: 29%2016: 13%2018: 38%2018: 25%Social media remains a powerful channel for retailers targeting audiences
10、 across different age groups and economic backgrounds.While consumers are still influenced by Facebook more than any other platform, retailers should also consider capitalizing on Instagram and Snapchats rising popularity if they havent yet experimented with these visual platforms.All social media p
11、latforms have the power to influence shoppers during their journey. Nearly half of all respondents (48%) say theyve purchased products or services discovered through social media, a slight uptick from the 42% reported in 2016.But for a majority of shoppers, social medias influence isnt limited to th
12、e discovery stage. 58% of respondents say social media influences a purchasing decision, even if its not where the product or service is discovered. Compared to the 45% thatreported the same in 2016, its clear that social media continues to be a growing opportunity for retailers.5A Growing Opportuni
13、tyn Facebooks influence, while still the biggest driver of purchasing decisions among popular social media networks, remained steady at 38%.n Instagrams influence doubled from 10% in 2016 to22% in 2018.n Snapchats influence more than tripled to 7% but it still remains relatively low compared to Face
14、book and Instagram.Platform 2016 2018 % ChangeFacebook 38 38 0%Instagram 10 22 120%Pinterest 17 15 -12%Twitter 5 7 40%Snapchat 2 7 250% of respondents that are influenced by the following social media platformsFacebooks Influence Remains Steady:But Instagrams Influence Has Doubled:Snapchats Influenc
15、e Has Tripled, But Still Lags Far Behind Facebook and Instagram:2016: 38%2016: 10%7% Snapchat22% Instagram38% Facebook2018: 38%2018: 22%The Future ofSocial Media ShoppingWhile social commerce and embedded “buy buttons” were all the hype two years ago, consumer adoption has been slower than anticipat
16、ed. In 2018, 82% of respondents have yet to use a feature like a social buy button to buy directly through socialmedia, a figure that has not changed since 2016. However, those 18% that do make social commerce purchases are still a significant audience and retailers have yet to tap the full potentia
17、l of social commerce.Though ethical concerns have not deterred respondents from using social media altogether, social media shopping, or shopping directly through a social media platform, is still held back by shopper concerns around security, privacy, and legitimacy.Today awareness is higher than e
18、ver, but consumers have yet to truly embrace social media shopping.6n 71% cite security as a major concern, followed by privacy at 65% and legitimacy at 64%.Shoppers are worried about inputting financial and personal information through social media, partly because theyre not sure if its a legitimat
19、e channel for transaction.n More than a third (36%) cite lack of customer support, a factor that retailers can easily address, as a barrier.n Only 20% of respondents were unfamiliar with the concept of social media shopping and how it works, so it wasnt for a lack of awareness.Heres the breakdown of
20、 what stops consumers from purchasing directly through social media, which largely remains unchanged since 2016:71%Cite security as a major concern65% Are concerned with privacy64% Wonder if social commerce is legitimateSecurity and Privacy concerns continueto hinder social commerce:Chatbots &7Conve
21、rsational CommerceDirect social media transactions may have stalled butchatbot usage is on the rise, with more than one-third of respondents having interacted with messaging-based chatbots. While chatbots may not be the ideal channel for transactions, a majority of users find the experience to be he
22、lpful and informative.n 37% of respondents have interacted with a messaging chatbot, with 72% citing the experience as helpful and informative.n Only 16% cite the chatbot experience as little to no help, 10% say it is clunky or cumbersome, and 6% call the experience complex and confusing. For the mo
23、st part, consumers have positive experiences with chatbots.37%of respondents have interacted with a messaging chatbotn Awareness of conversational commerce was expected to grow, but our survey suggests progress has not been made. 42% of respondents remain unfamiliar with the concept of conversationa
24、l commerce.n However, consumers are becoming more receptive. 26% said they are opposed to trying it, compared to 45% that said the same in 2016.n Adoption is low and the current user experience is lacking. Only 11% of respondents had actually tried shopping through chatbots, with 5% stating that the
25、y had a poor experience.8n While conversational commerce has not taken off, consumers are still open to chatbots for other purposes related to the sales cycle.n 32% of respondents cite customer service as a possible use for chatbots while shopping online or in-store, followed by product comparison (
26、20%), product discovery (18%), and purchase transaction (10%).While conversational commerce, or shopping through chatbots on messaging apps (Facebook Messenger, WeChat, etc.) was expected to see an increase in use, familiarity with the concept remains low. However, consumers remain open to the idea of shopping via messaging bots.The 2018 Social Commerce Survey was prepared and presented by SUMO Heavy Industries.For access to the full data set, please contact us at SUMO Heavy is a digital commerce consulting firm located in New York City and P
