Social Media Is a Key E-Commerce Channel, Study Finds

According to a recent study by digital services and solutions firm Avionos, social media is a key e-commerce channel, with 55 percent of consumers having made a purchase via platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

More specifically, the study found that 40 percent of consumers had made a purchase via Facebook, with 13 percent and 12 percent having done so respectively through Instagram and Pinterest. With this in mind, the study suggests that companies invest in creating shoppable moments on social media platforms.

The study also yielded insight into the types of personalized recommendations that consumers are most likely to act upon. "User-generated recommendations" where the most common, cited by 27 percent of consumers, with "products people typically purchase together" and "currently trending products" rounding out the top three at 23 percent and 20 percent respectively.