Posted by

Barry Siskind

Community Manager

 

A recent study by US based Forrester Research of American on pre-holiday buying habits found that less than 2% of on-line orders were generated through social networks. Does this mean that all the discussions and hype have been a waste of time? Hardly!

 

The report states that social media outreach is somewhat effective for distributing news about short-term deals but email and search advertising was much more effective to turn browsers into buyers.

 

Buying and ordering habits in retail are closely akin to what we experience at a trade fair where most attendees are exposed to some form of marketing by the exhibitors prior to attending, The study found that forty percent of hard goods transactions and 60% of soft goods transactions came to retail websites directly from email and search.

 

Does social media therefore play no significant role in pre-trade fair marketing? I think it’s too early to tell. The lesson is that exhibitors should not abandon traditional trade fair promotions in favor of social media just yet. Perhaps as marketers learn the nuances of social media, its importance will grow in the buying cycle.

 

This is a report everyone should read. Consider sending  the link to the study and even this post to your exhibitors.

 

http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/purchase_path_of_online_buyers/q/id/58942/t/2