Social Media is really beginning to influence trends and how people shop and over the last few years one of the big changes in the shopping world is the introduction of social media shopping. Shoppers use the internet for a number of reasons, whether that is convenience, the price or even choice but one thing is for sure, social media shopping is changing the way shopping is done. What social media shopping means is the use of different social networks, reviews and online tools with the process of making a purchase. Shoppers are now influenced by what others choose and this is shown by the way brands use social media to really get the attention of those who are looking to purchase.

The Social Media has really helped brands promote their products but it has also helped to improve and drive sales. What Social Media offers, is consumers the chance to discuss and share the products they have bought along with the items that the like, all of this information and discussion comes together to really enhance the thoughts and decisions made by their online friends. Sociable labs have issued a report that shows that 62 percent of online shoppers have read reviews on Social Media on products that they like and 75 percent of them have actually gone one step further and clicked a link to the product. This has led to 53 percent of those people actually making a purchase. Twitter is one of the other well-known social media tool that brands are now using to link up with customers to encourage purchases. This is proven by the fact that study by Social Media Quickstarter that 64 percent of Twitter users actually follow their favourite brands so that they can receive information about promotions and discounts.

It is no surprise that the number of social media focussed product campaigns are increasing to really encourage the users to show an interest in the brand and end up making a purchase. This is being done in many ways and some brands are now using innovative ways to capture the imagination of potential customers. Companies are now using games on Facebook to help influence decisions, giving people the chance to win vouchers for money off purchases online and some companies are even enabling customers to make purchases through twitter as well as win gift cards.

Brands are now realising that it is become very important to gain the attention of shoppers whilst they are researching and looking for products that they like. By using Social Media, it enables retailers to really increase their sales and improve their share in the market, even if the purchase is eventually done offline. Brands and retailers have to fully understand that is a tool that can be manipulated to really make the brand stand out and that is absolutely vital.

The figures are already staggering and the whole social commerce conception is still relatively new but competition is fierce between brands and retailers so the numbers are only going to increase along with revenue.