The National Retail Federation reports that consumers are more willing to dabble in social commerce than many retailers realize, with 42% of those who shop online saying they at least occasionally
"follow" a store on a social media. More than 56% of Facebook users have clicked through to a retail site, while 67% of Twitter users have done so.
The study, based on more than 1,700 online
shoppers and a joint effort between the NRF's Shop.org e-commerce unit, comScore, and Social Shopping Labs, found that those online shoppers who track retailers typically follow six stores, whether
through Facebook, Twitter or a retailer's blog. Most (58%) say they do so to find deals, while 49% just want to stay up to date on products. And 39% also like information on contests and events.
But perhaps the biggest news is that these consumers are open to skipping stores' site entirely, with 35% saying they'd be willing to make a purchase directly from Facebook, and 32% right from
Twitter.