Only 7% of adults influenced by Social Media advertising

UK families are influenced by social media points out that a UK adult spends about 14 hours per week online and nearly half of that time is devoted to social networks like Facebook and Twitter, according to recent research by 1000heads.

However, time spent on social platforms appears to have little influence on consumers’ purchasing decisions, compared to offline conversations. In fact, just 7% of the respondents admit to being influenced by advertising and only one in a hundred cite social networking as a key factor when deciding what to spend money on.

In comparison, offline chats with friends prove to have the greatest impact, with more than a quarter of the polled ranking it as most influential for shaping an opinion about a product and eventually deciding to buy it. Conversations with partners come second, with one in six respondents considering them important.

Apart from social platforms, other frequently visited websites include shopping and auction sites, video sharing sites, online media players and group deal sites. Brand pages did not prove to be very popular, with just 12% of the respondents visiting one.

The research polled 1,000 adults from 25 to 44 years of age on their decisions to buy products from six categories: cars, domestic appliances, foods and drinks, health and beauty and family leisure.