Purchases Grew On Social Media In Last Eight Months: Study

Email systems had better be integrated with social media, judging by ‘Social advertising landscape survey: One Year of Covid-18,’ a study released Thursday by Smartly.io, conducted by Dynata. 

Social media ads spurred 35% of global consumers to make a purchase online in the last 30 days, up from 26% in August 2020. 

And despite widespread vaccination, creatives should not forget COVID-19 -- 51% of consumers say brands should still acknowledge the pandemic in their ads.  

The study is based on a survey of 1,000 consumers in the U.S., UK, Australia and Germany, conducted in April.  

There were increases in online purchasing in the U.S., Germany and Australia from August 2020 to April 2021. But there was a decline in the UK.

Fashion was the leading product in three out of four markets studied, with electronics second in the U.S. and first in Germany. Beauty products were second in Australia and the UK.

Note to email and social copywriters: Consumers prefer the story format. And that has risen in all markets, compared with last August.   

In addition, 27% want video ads on social media, versus 23% who like photo carousels and 19% who like Stories. 

In general, 56% are using social media to connect with friends and family, and that figure has hit 64% in the UK. 

Facebook is the most popular platform, having been used by one-third of global consumers in the last 30 days, versus 18% for YouTube and 15% for Instagram.

“Consumers are anticipating a return to normalcy, which reflects their eagerness to spend,” states Robert Rothschild, CMO, VP & Global Head of Marketing, Smartly.io. “Relevant, localized and timely content will be key to winning share in a competitive marketplace.”

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