Your website, not social media, is most critical

A Toronto survey of the retail shopping habits of 1,520 consumers concludes that many brands’ investments in social media to drive loyalty and sales is misplaced. Across 33 product categories, Canadian consumers are more likely to visit retailer websites (77%) than to access social media (27%) to gather information. Facebook and Twitter are not a crucial marketing element, say the report authors, but a robust website most certainly is: “if you don’t have a good end point… it sort of puts the cart before the horse.” Social media may “nudge” online purchases, but doesn’t drive them. A recent Forrester Research study found that less than 2% of online orders during the 2010 holiday season resulted from shoppers arriving from social networks.  Marketing Magazine