A new study from Accenture Interactive’s Acquity Group entitled, 2015 Next Generation of Commerce Study, reveals that while everyone and their grandmother is on social media these days, what they like and share is vastly different.
The report is based on surveys of more than 2,000 U.S. consumers on their digital engagement habits and preferences. Responses were broken down based on demographics, including age and gender.
What the researchers found is the consumers have high expectations from brands that seek to engage with them online. Driving this trend are consumers aged 18-30, who have grown up in a digital world that thrives on sharing.
The study reveals that almost 50% of consumers under the age of 50 have tried a service or product as a result of a campaign or ad on social media. Only about 30% of those who are 51-68 were so inclined, and only 14% of those over the age of 69 would try a service or product because they saw it on social media.
What is most surprising is that Facebook is considered to be the most trustworthy channel for content created by a company or brand.
Younger generations are more likely to trust social channels than their older counterparts.
Twenty-nine percent of college-aged consumers (ages 18-22) and 32% of Millennials (ages 23-30) rank Facebook #1, while only 16% of Baby Boomers (ages 52-68) do the same. Older consumers are more likely to trust traditional media, such as print (27%) or online news (20%).
This infographic breaks down the key data points from the Acquity Group study on what channels are most trusted and what types of content consumers are most likely to share with their networks:
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