More online consumers are using Facebook on a regular basis to find information about their favorite retail brands, whereas fewer consumers are turning to blogs, forums, and consumer review sites than they were a year ago, according to a new survey from Compete.

Moreover, Twitter is less popular than Facebook for finding retail information, but Twitter feeds are more successful than Facebook pages at influencing purchase decisions among users, the study found.

Among various social channels, more online consumers report using Facebook to find information about brands, according to Compete, while the use of retail forums and review sites is down:

• 27% of surveyed online consumers visit official retail or consumer product Facebook pages at least once a month, up 3 percentage points (PPs) from the 24% who did so a year earlier.
• 23% read or post on blogs, forums, consumer review sites, or discussion boards hosted by retailers on a monthly basis, down 6 PPs from the 29% who did so a year earlier.
• 10% read Twitter messages from brands, down 1 PP from the 11% who did so a year earlier.

Below, additional findings from The Spring 2011 Online Shopper Intelligence report, based on a survey of 3,269 online buyers in the US.

Sales and Promotional Info Most Important

Among those who visit retailers' Facebook pages on a monthly basis, 56% say they do so to keep up to date on sales and promotions, while 29.0% do so to learn about a specific retailer.

Fewer consumers interact with Facebook pages for social reasons such to connect with others who like a specific brand (13.6%).

Read the Full Article