Consumers care about how they will be publically perceived when buying a product online, the research reveals. Before the use of social media icons on retail websites, online shoppers had anonymity when purchasing their products online. However, the increasing use of social media icons near a product is causing some consumers to feel self conscious about their public online buying decisions.
If the Facebook Like button or Tweet button for Twitter is displayed next to products on shopping websites, the icons will affect whether the customer purchases the product or not.
Displaying the icons can either increase the chance of purchase or reduce the probability of buying, according to the study by the University of Miami School Of Business administration.
Online shoppers who saw a social media icon next to a product that could embarrass them had less chance of buying it than those who saw the product online without a social media icon next to it.
Alternatively, consumers who saw products with icons next to them that they would be proud to be seen buying were more likely to purchase the product than if it did not have an icon.
The study, in collaboration with Empirica Research and StyleCaster Media group, surveyed nearly 200 consumers. Products people were happy to display to the public, like sportswear or a fragrance, were 25% more likely to be purchased with Facebook and Twitter icons next to them. If the product, however, were of a more private nature, like Spanx or Clearasil, the likelihood of purchased decreased by 25%.
"Our study finds that the mere presence of social media icons on a web page where we shop appears to cause us to feel as if our purchases are being watched by our social network, and we adjust our buying decisions accordingly," said Claudia Townsend, an assistant professor of marketing at the School of Business, who conducted the research with Emperica’s David Neal. "Marketers should be aware that the placement of these symbols in their web design strategy could have a major impact on buying behaviour."
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