'Most people's purchases influenced by social networks'

he majority of consumers now consult ‘friends’ or ‘followers’ on social networks, such as Facebook, before choosing to purchase a new item, according to research firm Gartner.

The company’s latest report has discovered that the majority of consumers rely upon their social networks’ circles, to varying extents, to help make their purchasing decisions.

Gartner’s report, which polled nearly 4,000 consumers across 10 major global markets during Q4 2009, discovered that people play different roles when it comes to recommending products online to friends within their social network. People broadly fell into three categories: ‘Connectors’, ‘Mavens’ or ‘Salesmen’. More...

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