Third of Brits 'Recommend Products via Social Media'

Owners of Play.com - Rakuten reports consumer interest in social shopping is up around the world, with almost half of consumers (45%) actively recommending products on social media sites.

It found the UK saw the second highest international growth, with just over a third of consumers (36%) sharing products with their social network, up 11% since August 2012.

Online expenditure

Adam Stewart, marketing director, Rakuten’s Play.com, said: "At Rakuten’s Play.com, social platforms were responsible for generating £1.8m of direct sales in 2012, and this growth has been boosted by a 122% increase in orders from social networks specifically over the last six months".

"Social is set to become increasingly important. For example Gartner predicted earlier this year 50% of information on new customers will be based on social network identities, such as ‘login with Facebook’, by the end of 2015, which is up from less than 5% today. As an industry we need to build consumer confidence in social shopping platforms, as well as allowing shoppers to easily share content through these channels."

Stewart said: "Whether online, on mobile, or in-store, consumers are coming to expect a high level of customer service and an integrated brand experience across all available channels. It’s no longer enough to merely have a website that compliments your brick-and-mortar presence, retailers must start to develop interactive experiences which merge physical and digital channels".