56% Of Users Are Influenced By Twitter Content

Twitter is more than a micro-blogging site for sending and reading tweets – it is also a tool enabling mobile purchases, recent research reveals.

According to the research from Nielsen, which examined Twitter’s role in the decisions of UK mobile consumers and their shopping habits, the vast majority (94%) of Twitter account holders now engage in mobile commerce, performing 40% more shopping sessions than non-Twitter users. These shoppers involve themselves in most stages of the shopping cycle: they research and read product reviews, visit websites to add an item to their basket and make transactions, Twitter said in a blog post.

The social company also found that its users appear to spend 31% more time shopping than those not using the platform. In addition, they are 50% more likely to view their shopping cart and eventually make a purchase.

Nielsen’s study also revealed that the shopping behaviour of 56% of Twitter mobile users is influenced by content posted on the platform. For a third of account holders, posts on Twitter have “contributed directly” towards a purchase on their mobile device.

Two in three users now follow brands on Twitter, but deals and discounts are not necessarily the only reason for this, the social company reported. While nearly four out of five users follow brands chiefly to make use of their special offers, two in three consumers in this group simply want to stay informed about a brand’s activities. Users who follow brands and companies on Twitter engage in 23% more retail sessions, Twitter noted in its blog.