Consumers 'sometimes' influenced by social media

Some 24 per cent of social media users say they sometimes turn to such sites before making a decision to book a holiday or purchase travel services, according to a new report.

The study, carried out by Knowledge Networks as part of the Home Technology Monitor, indicated that while few people "regularly" turned to social media to help them decide on a purchase, a larger proportion admitted they "sometimes" seek out advice from this type of site.

A total of 23 per cent said their clothing or shoes purchases are sometimes influenced by social media reviews or recommendations and 21 per cent claimed they sometimes used it to seek out the best mobile phone services.

Furthermore, the study found that 63 per cent of social media users consider ads a "fair price to pay" to use these sites and 34 per cent are using social media more often than they were a year ago.

Knowledge Networks suggested that this information helps to provide a "clearer picture" of the motivations behind social media use, which may be helpful to online marketing experts, advertisers and researchers.

Canadian news site The Tyee.ca recently suggested that the participatory nature of social media creates an "ongoing dialogue" among users, which strengthens its appeal.

This news story is brought to you by Bluhalo - a leading UK digital agency.