• The Guardian , Saturday, October 6, 2012 7:58 AM

Social shopping may be in its infancy, but it's only going to grow. The impact that it will have on the way people shop, and as a result the impact on a retailer or brand's bottom line, is set to be huge. In fact, new research from eBay estimates that in the next two years the value of social media for retail will more than double from £1.5bn to reach around £3.3bn. The Guardian’s research predicts that UK retail sales directly via social media are forecast to grow to £290m by 2014 from £210m (a rise of 44%) as more and more retailers target consumers with personalised offers and deals on social networks.

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