A few weeks back, Shopify released a study that showed which social media sites were sending the most traffic for retailers. Now, an Experian Marketing Services’ 2014 Digital Marketer study reveals that Pinterest is the most powerful way to get consumers to sites, more than Facebook and You Tube. This is interesting coming on the heels of the news that Pinterest will be officially entering the advertising game, for brands to use sponsored pins.
Social media has been changing the way people shop and share for years now. For instance, if you buy a teeshirt on Tee Fury, they encourage you to share it on Twitter or Facebook, so your friends can see your purchase, and perhaps be prompted to make their own. There doesn't even need to be an incentive built in-though there are plenty of sites that give you discounts and credits for social referrals. So the shift towards social shopping has created unique brand opportunities. According to the study "96% of retailers now use email campaigns to steer shoppers toward social channels; Pinterest is being promoted by 64% of those brands."
Social media is being used as discovery platforms, therefore accounting for a little over 7% in all web traffic to retail sites. So while search is still king, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest are gaining ground in the game. According to Bill Tancer, general manager of global research "“Many of today’s marketers are leveraging the power of social communities to increase customer engagement and expand their brand’s reach. For retailers, all eyes are on Pinterest.”
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