Heavy U.S. users of social networking sites are significantly more likely than average to visit leisure-oriented retail site categories, such as music, jewelry/luxury goods/accessories and consumer electronics, according to a new study from comScore Inc. ComScore defines heavy users as the top 20% of visitors to social networking sites based on time spent on the sites.
More than 95% of heavy social networkers visited retail sites in August, compared with 80% of the total U.S. Internet audience. Heavy social networkers accounted for 28.5% of visitors to music sites and 26.5% of visitors to jewelry/luxury goods/accessories sites. In addition, they represented nearly one-quarter of visitors to apparel sites (24.8%), tickets sites (24.5%), consumer electronics sites (23.9%), sports/outdoor sites (23.8%), computer software sites (23.7%), book sites (23.6%), movie sites (23.4%) and computer hardware sites (22.7%), comScore found.
“There appears to be a natural synergy between the leisure categories and social networking sites,” says Gian Fulgoni, chairman. “People typically enjoy sharing their experiences with these products, whether it’s to talk about their new iPhone or the pair of designer jeans they just bought. Social networking sites offer the venue for those conversations to occur.”
The study also found that fashion and apparel sites oriented to young adults attracted the highest percentage of visitors from the social networking segment. The top ten sites were TattooJohnny.com, where heavy social networkers accounted for 55.7% of site visitors; Alloy (51.7%); HollisterCo.com (50.3%); HotTopic.com (49.8%); PacSun.com (48.1%); Wetseal Inc. (45.9%); Forever 21 Inc. (43.5%); Aeropostale.com (43.4%); Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (43.4%); and AE.com (42.8%).
“Apparel retailers—especially those geared towards younger consumers—can benefit by considering the use of social networking sites as a marketing channel,” Fulgoni says.
ComScore is a web audience measurement company.
Back...
