Social media driving major shopping shift

Consumers clicking on social media posts are changing the way Americans shop, according to the CEO of Curalate.

Apu Gupta, the CEO of the marketing technology company, spoke to the Philadelphia Inquirer about the ways in which social media is influencing retail sales.

“We are witnessing a major, major shift in consumer behavior” as social-media posts function similarly to billboards that advertise products or department-store windows that draw consumers into a product or brand’s website,  Gupta tells the Inquirer.

A new Curalate survey reports that 76 percent of Americans — or three out of four shoppers — have bought products they were exposed to on a brand’s social media post.

The survey points to a shift in consumer behavior as shoppers find shirts, slacks, dresses, shoes, and other items on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat through a brand’s feed, or sponsored ads. 

Read more about social shopping trends by clicking here.