Social media 'can help e-commerce sites'

24th April 2009

E-commerce sites could benefit from including social media in their marketing strategies, according to MarketingSherpa.

The website said in its latest report on the online retail site that marketers should not ignore Web 2.0 sites and technologies as they can provide a good source of high-quality traffic thanks to their viral marketing qualities.

It conceded that search marketing and email tend to be the biggest drivers of e-commerce traffic, but also stated that social media has much to offer.

"Social media is essentially a set of technologies and practices that enable the oldest and most powerful marketing there is – word of mouth," the report said.

Taking this approach means that businesses could benefit from better margins in the long-term as web users become more aware of them through others' opinions of their services, MarketingSherpa added.

The comments may be particularly important in the light of recent research from Hitwise indicating that UK internet users are increasingly spending more time on social networks than retail sites.

 

Category: Ecommerce Web Design

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