In the past three months, according to the consumer marketing platform Hubspot, 41% of consumers discovered a product through social media.
Influencers are doing what they know how to do best, influencing the purchase decisions of consumers who can't seem to leave their cell phones.
And, Gen Z, Millennials and Gen Xers say they prefer to find products on social media than anywhere else.
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According to a survey conducted by Hubspot, 17% of social media users have purchased an item directly from a social media platform in the past three months. This percentage has increased to 22% of Generation Z and 27% of Millennials since January.
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“It’s more common that you buy something online, that you see that you like, with a click of a button,” said Mabelline, who has purchased products this way.
However, it is important to take precautions; when anything becomes popular among consumers, it also sparks the attention of scammers who try to deceive through accounts selling fake items.
“There are some of the most common ads on social media, the products that claim to support charity, free trials, the counterfeit merchandise on name brand goods and the downloading of those unknown apps that you see scrolling through social media,” said Ligia Chang with the Better Business Bureau.
The ones that decide to purchase say they look out for red flags.
“I decide through word of mouth or reviews. Just to make sure that is a liable company and not something that is low quality,” said Mabelline.
According to this same survey, the recommendations of influencers have more impact on the purchase decisions of today's consumers than the recommendations of their friends or relatives. However, do your homework, read the comments and reviews of the product of your interest very well before buying.
