Social Media Major Influence in Purchasing Decisions

Infographic Credit: AlphaDigital

Australian marketers will want to play close attention to the latest research on social media and online growth in Australia, compiled by

It’s obvious that the social media will play an increasingly important role as an “influencer” in consumer purchases, so every marketer should consider a social media component to a marketing plan.

To get a feel for where we are, consider that 70 percent of all purchases are now researched online prior to sale, and that Facebook’s roughly 11 million Australian users represent 65 percent of all Australian Internet users.

Twitter is the fastest growing social media outlet, with 1.8 million users, adding 200,000 in the month of April alone. But take note of Pinterest, which is driving more referral traffic than You Tube, Google +, and LinkedIn combined.

Business Gets on Board

Businesses have hopped on the social media bandwagon. Fifty-five percent say they use social media to build relationships with their customers, 52 percent use social media for lead generation, and 50 percent use social media to promote products.

The Australian brands with the largest followings on Facebook include Quicksilver, UGG  Australia, and Bubble O’Bill.