Different Webs for Different Needs

September 3, 2014

In just a decade, Facebook has gone from a college-based social web site to a near global force. Not surprisingly, Facebook plays a large role among shoppers and shopping trips.

More than 90 percent of shoppers say they use Facebook to plan shopping or menus because they find the massive social web site offers the broadest range of content and functions. However, the time shoppers spend focused on food is relatively brief on Facebook and many other social sites.

In fact, only Pinterest seems to generate different interaction and is the only social site where shoppers spend significant time gathering recipes or inspiration. In addition, some of the newer image-heavy sites such as Vine, Snapchat or Instagram seem to provide opportunities for different types of use.

One of the key findings in part 8 of Untangling the Social Web, the latest study from the
Coca‑Cola Retailing Research Council of North America, is that the social web keeps adding new avenues and ways of interacting. For businesses of all kinds, that means it’s increasingly important to keep an eye on these emerging sites to understand how to best engage shoppers using them.

If the stunning growth of Facebook or Twitter has demonstrated anything, it is that a small web site can become incredibly popular very, very quickly.

Copies of the study can be obtained for free at http://ccrrc.org/2014/05/15/untangling-the-social-web-insights-for-users-brands-and-retailers/.

Also, hear my FMI Webinar “Key Steps to Business Social Media Success” at
https://fmi.adobeconnect.com/_a828399537/p8692ja0ii1/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

Michael Sansolo
Research Director
Coca‑Cola Retailing Research Council of North America
www.MichaelSansolo.com