More than 90 per cent of consumers have concerns about shopping via social media, yet nearly one-third still use it as a shopping platform, according to new research.
The report by revealed that shoppers are worried about payment security (59 per cent), the quality of goods (56 per cent), the safety of their personal details (55 per cent) and buying a fake (47 per cent).
Worries around shopping on social media were warranted; 31 per cent of consumers say they have unwittingly bought a fake item online and of that portion, 23 per cent purchased the product via social media.
In addition, 63 per cent of consumers say they don’t believe enough is being done by brands, online marketplaces and social media platforms to protect them from counterfeiters, fraud and cybercriminals.
This figure is especially telling as when it comes to buying decisions on social media. Reputation of the brand is the most cited influence (55 per cent), followed by peer reviews (48 per cent) and if friends and family have liked the channel (34 per cent). Celebrity endorsement also plays a role for nearly one-quarter (23 per cent) of respondents.
“With more people using social media and interest in it as a shopping channel on the rise, the number of purchases taking place over social media is likely to increase. Our research highlights that regardless of where they shop online, consumers are still being targeted by counterfeiters and are looking to brands and social media platforms to safeguard them,” said Chrissie Jamieson, VP marketing, MarkMonitor.
“Organisations need to ensure they incorporate social media platforms in their online brand protection strategies to protect shoppers and their own reputation. Many social media platforms already have mechanisms in place to guard against the sale of the counterfeits and are constantly improving ways to detect and report fakes, but it’s clear that consumers feel more needs to be done by all stakeholders moving forward.”
The research also revealed that consumers do have confidence in certain aspects of shopping via social media. Two-thirds (66 per cent) of shoppers say they trust the information shown by shopping sites on social media while 30 per cent are comfortable using their credit card to make a purchase. And while they are happy to buy clothing, home accessories and electronic goods via social media, there are items they say they would never buy via this method. This includes jewellery (27 per cent), booking a holiday (27 per cent), health products (26 per cent) and event tickets (24 per cent).
Share