Lots of different ideas around about how powerful Social will become and what it may morph into. Let’s put to rest any idea that it’s going to replace Search, at least for now.
This research was conducted by PowerReviews and the e-tailing group and it tells us that online shoppers don’t think too much of searching for product information on social sites.
It’s interesting to see that these consumers were almost as likely to start at a retailer as they were to start at a brand. I imagine it’s about what you’re looking for and how much you know about brands in that product category. If I’m comfortable with a brand, I may go to their site. If I’m more comfortable with a retailer and/or I need to see, touch or have the product serviced, I go to the retailer first.
But Search still beats everything else combined.
The big takeaway here is that Social is getting a lot of buzz but covering your brand on local search is a lot more important.