How Social Media Influences Shopping Behavior of Millennials

The generation of millennials is different – more than 70% of those born between 1980 and early 2000s are active on social networks.

Millennials grew up in a technological boom and use social networks not only to read news and chat but also to be updated with the last fashion trends and to search for products that they want to buy.

50% of millennials say that their purchase decisions are influenced by social media. We live in a digital world. Buyers enjoy reading online reviews which now seem to have the same power as personal recommendations. 85% of buyers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Millennials are active in writing about their own experience – they are not passive readers. Which is good because people are more likely to buy a product which was recommended by someone else. They don’t stick with Facebook, they use Instagram and Tumblr. Buyers who use social media to help to shop during or before going to a store are 29% more likely to make a purchase the same day.

Customers pay attention to social media. So if you want to meet a today’s customer expectations you should start building a relationship through social media.

How to build a relationship through social media?

• Allow your customers to buy things right through your social media page with a buy button to make the buying process simple.
• Encourage them to write reviews about your e-shop.

Are you afraid of bad reviews?  Turn them into your advantage. Check all reviews and answer them to show that you care. Even a bad review can help you to increase awareness about your store.

To sum up, social media definitely influence buyer’s shopping behavior. If you haven’t started communicating through social media yet you should start right now. With 46% of buyers looking towards social media when making a purchase, social media is a powerful tool to increase your sales.

Karolína Alvaradová – creates a perfect return process at Retino