The independent buyer agency Shopcentric, has presented the results of its latest research on the impact of social media and mobile commerce on the buying behavior of consumers in the United Kingdom.

From the study we show that only 9% of consumers / buyers are following brands in social media and that only 6% make a purchase. Likewise, 37% of respondents said they did not see the point of brands on social networks and 18% the same but on retailers.

The research also determined that there are currently important changes that both brands and retailers need to take into account to attract customers, such as that 38% of men have smartphones, against 29% of women; and that 60% of girls have Facebook, against 52% of boys.

In the case of smartphones, 14% of men use applications that support the purchase, against 8% of women.

Other trends of great importance for marketing can be found in their results, as it is that only 1 in 3 consumers / buyers visit the website of the brand, against 3 out of 4 in the retailers.

63% of consumers visit the website of the brand or retailer to make a purchase, compared to 6% who do so through social media.

The reason why the consumer / buyer wants to be in contact with the company on social networks is divided as follows: 32% to discover something new; 23% to communicate with them; 24% to be close to the brands to do business and an amazing 12% that approaches them to help them have more fun.

When consumers were asked why they thought the brand was on social networks, 54% responded that it was to sell more products, while 4% thought they were there because all the others were there.

32% of consumers follow brands in order to feel part of a group, while 29% want to share their thoughts with them and be part of a forum; 10% have joined to obtain discounts or coupons and 6% to make a report.

The most popular social network is Facebook, with 56%

27% of male consumers visited a price comparison before making the purchase, against 19% of women.

Just over one third (38%) of the range between 16 and 24 years old already follows their preferred brands, 29% those between 25 and 35 years, 18% between 35 and 44 years, 8% between 24 and 54 and those over 55 said they were not following any, but among these 56% said they could not wait to do it.

“The use of social networks and mobile commerce in the context of business is still in the development stage,” said Danielle Pinnington, Director of Shopcentric. However, he clarifies that “these figures suggest that social platforms and mobile commerce, well used, could be of great help to retailers to guide and engage their customers.