Search »

Social Network Sites an Attractive Venue for Retail Advertising

Heavy users (top 20 percent) of social-networking sites are significantly more likely than average to visit leisure-oriented retail site categories, such as apparel, music, jewelry/luxury goods/accessories and consumer electronics, according to a comScore Segment Metrix study, reports MarketingCharts.

More than 95 percent of heavy social networkers visited retail sites in August, compared with 80 percent of the total U.S. internet audience, and they had a particularly high tendency to visit the more leisure-oriented retail categories, according to the study.

Retail Categories

Those retail categories consisted of those featuring entertainment (music, tickets, books and movies), fashion (apparel, jewelry/luxury goods/accessories), and retail technology (consumer electronics, computer software and hardware). (See category table.)

“This analysis is consistent with the findings of a comScore study conducted last year, which showed that visitors to social networking sites are more receptive to online advertising for leisure-oriented retail categories,” said comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni.

“There appears to be a natural synergy between the leisure categories and social-networking sites. People typically enjoy sharing their experiences with these products, whether it’s to talk about their new iPhone or the pair of designer jeans they just bought. Social-networking sites offer the venue for those conversations to occur.”

Young-Adult Fashion and Apparel Sites

The study also examined which individual sites attracted the highest percentage of visitors from the heavy social networkers - finding they have a strong propensity to visit retail apparel sites.

Each of the top 10 sites was a fashion and apparel site oriented to young adults, including well-known brands like Hollister, Pac Sun, and Abercrombie & Fitch. (See top 10 table.)

“Apparel retailers - especially those geared towards younger consumers - can benefit by considering the use of social networking sites as a marketing channel,” said Fulgoni. “Savvy retailers understand that e-commerce represents only one component of the incremental sales that result from online advertising efforts, and that the internet is a powerful medium for brand-building and driving in-store sales.”