UK Market Research Company 'Survey Seat' Release Latest Findings On Social Media Linked Online Purchasing

London, UK 19th November 2012 – Leading UK market research firm 'Survey Seat' have recently announced the findings of a comprehensive survey conducted into effects and influences that social media giants such as Facebook, twitter (and more recently, Google+) have on online purchasing. The survey was completed in conjunction with 'The Good Web Guide' in order to try and highlight how social media can affect how, where, when and on what people choose to spend their money.

The results collated indicated some interesting patterns. The survey involved seeking the opinions of a cross demographic sample of 1107 participants who were then asked to answer a range of questions, which were designed to illicit a response about social media and their purchasing preferences. The results indicated that out of the 1107 people surveyed, 824 actively use the web for hunting discounts and finding better prices on goods and services. Interestingly, it also emerged that once again, out of 1107 participants, a massive 901 (81%) had negative views on newsletters and would rather not receive them from retailers.

These results seem to suggest that while online marketing is incredibly powerful and holds a great deal of potential for retailers and service providers, the current 'norm' of approaching online marketing by way of opt-in newsletters is not an effective method of advertising and enticing customers to purchase. This leaves a gap in the online marketing arena which could be filled with social media advertisements and leveraged with potential enormous effect. With over 30 million registered Facebook users in the UK and around 1 billion users worldwide, the market exposure possibility is almost limitless.

A similarly based survey recently carried out by Survey Seat on behalf of Referr.co highlighted the potential for marketing in the currently popular 'word of mouth' referral system which sees family members and friends 'recommending' products to one another from within the social media platforms. This opens up a myriad of possibilities for companies to evolve their online marketing strategies away from the current 'newsletter' approach and more towards exploit the potential in social media.

SurveySeat.com is an online marketing survey company based in the UK. For further information about the survey and market research services on offer, please contact 0208 767 9302 or alternatively visit www.surveyseat.com and click 'contact us'.