Performics 2011 Social Shopping Study found men are more likely than women to conduct five of six social shopping activities. Contradicting commonly held beliefs about gender and social behaviors, the study showed men more frequently research product information, read reviews, compare products, find product availability and get store information via social networks, shopping and deal sites; while women reign supreme when searching for deals, coupons and specials on similar sites.

1. Social Shopping Study:
Participant Behaviors & Preferences
on Social, Shopping and Deal Sites
Summary of Findings
October 2011

2. Study Methodology & Respondent Profiles
 Conducted among 1,000 participants from the SSI panel of more than 6 million respondents. Respondents
must have an active social network account & use social networks at least occasionally in the purchase process.
 The online survey was in field from 9/27/11 to 10/4/11.
 At 95% confidence interval, a sample size of 1,000 has a sampling error of 3.1%.
 Statistical testing was performed to uncover meaningful differences between cells and subgroups. Tests used
are paired comparison T-tests and Z-tests at the 95% confidence level.
2

3. Gender Inequity:
Social Network, Shopping &
Deal Site Behavioral Differences
3

4. Men more Active than Women on Social Networks
With which of the following social network sites do you have
an active account, meaning you visit at least once a month?
(Check all that apply)
Men 96% Men 36%
Women 97% Women 24%
Men 54% Men 31%
Women 34% Women 20%
Men 37% Men 20%
Women 24% Women 16%
N=1,000 (Total respondents) Q3
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5. Men Visit Social Network Pages More Frequently During Purchase Process;
Women “Like” Brand/Products More Frequently on Facebook After Purchase
N=1,000 (Total respondents) Q7
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6. Men Trump Women In Frequency of 5 of 6 Social Shopping Activities
How often do you use [social networks, shopping sites, deal sites] to do each of the following?
(Summary – Once a week or more)
Male Female
Shopping Sites (N=429) Deal Sites (N=256) Shopping Sites (N=460) Deal Sites (N=319)
Social Networks (N=476) Social Networks (N=524)
67% 66%
Find specials, coupons, or deals 68% Find specials, coupons, or deals 64%
57% 64%
63% 52%
Research product information 57% Research product information 40%
54% 43%
61% 52%
Read product reviews 58% Read product reviews 42%
53% 45%
62% 50%
Compare products 56% Compare products 41%
49% 45%
59% 51%
Find product availability 56% Find product availability 41%
48% 40%
50% 47%
Store information 50% Store information 32%
45% 41% Q4, Q12, Q18
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7. Shopping Sites Command More Gender Equity;
Men More Likely to Use Deal Sites, Social Networks
How often do you use [social networks, shopping
sites, deal sites] at each of the following times?
(Summary – Occasionally/Frequently)
Male Female
Shopping Sites (N=429) Deal Sites (N=256) Shopping Sites (N=460) Deal Sites (N=319)
Social Networks (N=476) Social Networks (N=524)
87% 88%
In the beginning when In the beginning when
75% 66%
searching for a product searching for a product
68% 64%
82% 83%
Right before I commit to Right before I commit to
73% 64%
purchasing purchasing
65% 64%
57% 54%
After I make the purchase After I make the purchase
56% 46%
to share my experience to share my experience
61% 58%
56% 55%
While I'm in the store or While I'm in the store or
56% 42%
on the website on the website
50% 43% Q5, Q13, Q19
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8. Site Popularity:
Social Network, Shopping &
Deal Sites Throughout the
Purchase Process
8

9. Wide Range of Deal Sites Popular; Groupon and Living Social Top List
With which of the following deal sites do you have an account?
(Check all that apply)
Groupon 47%
Living Social 27%
Eversave 15%
FourSquare 10%
Beyond the Rack 9%
Shoe Buy 8%
Buy with me 6%
Bloomspot 6%
Haute Look 5%
Gilt Groupe 5%
One Kings Lane 5%
ideeli 4%
N=1,000 (Total respondents) Q17
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10. Amazon, eBay and Retailers’ Brand Sites Most Popular Shopping Sites
With which of the following shopping sites do you visit at least once a month?
(Check all that apply)
Amazon 69%
eBay 53%
Retailer website 52%
Google shopping 27%
Yahoo! Shopping 23%
Bing shopping 13%
Borrowing websites 7%
Flash sales websites 7%
N=1,000 (Total respondents) Q11
10

11. Shopping Sites Most Popular while Searching & Before Committing;
Social Networks More Popular After Purchase to Share Experience
How often do you use [social networks, shopping
sites, deal sites] at each of the following times?
(Summary – Occasionally/Frequently)
87%
In the beginning when searching for a product 70%
66%
83%
Right before I commit to purchasing 68%
64%
57%
After I make the purchase to share my experience 51%
59%
Shopping Sites
55% Deal Sites
While I'm in the store or on the website 48%
46%
Social Networks
Q5, Q13, Q19
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12. Nearly 20% of Active Social Networkers Use Social Networks, Shopping and Deal
Sites to find Specials, Coupons and Deals
How often do you use [social networks, shopping sites, deal sites] to do each of the following?
(Summary – Daily)
17%
Find specials, coupons, or deals 19%
18%
10%
Research product information 10%
11%
11%
Learn about new products 14%
15%
10%
Read product reviews 11%
12%
9%
Compare products 12% Shopping Sites
10%
Deal Sites
8%
Find product availability 11% Social Networks
11%
9%
Store information 8%
10%
Q4, Q12, Q18
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13. Social Shopping Influences Participation and Purchasing Behaviors
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
(Summary – Somewhat/strongly agree)
Shopping Sites (N=889) Deal Sites (N=575) Social Networks (N=1,000)
72%
[Shopping, Deal, Social] sites are an important part of the
58%
purchase process for me
41%
57%
I trust user reviews/recommendations on [shopping, deal,
53%
social] sites more than others
58%
46%
Positive reviews/recommendations regarding
49%
products/services cause me to buy things
50%
46%
Negative reviews/recommendations on [shopping, deal,
46%
social] sites eliminates possibility of purchase
44%
Q10, Q16, Q22
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14. Emerging Participant Behavior:
In-Store Online Activities &
Social Shopping Across Verticals
14

15. 20-50 % Occasionally or Frequently Conduct In-Store Social Activities;
18-52 % Occasionally or Frequently Conduct In-Store Search Activities
(Summary – Occasionally/Frequently)
N=1,000 (Total respondents) Q25
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16. 60 % of Social Shoppers Wait Less than 10 Minutes for Advice Before Proceeding
While at a physical location, have you ever When seeking advice on social networks prior to
paused prior to finalizing a purchase in order finalizing a purchase, how long do/would you wait
to seek advice on a social network? for feedback before proceeding with purchase?
Less than 5
19%
No 75% minutes
5 - 10
41%
minutes
Yes 25% 10 - 20
22%
minutes
More than
18%
20 minutes
N=1,000 (Total respondents) N=252 (Seek advice on social networks to finalize purchase) Q23, Q24
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17. Vertical Insights: Social Shopping Popularity Across 17 Key Categories
How often do you use [social networks, shopping sites, deal sites] in the purchase process
for the following types of products/services?
(Summary – Occasionally, Frequently or Every time I purchase)
Shopping Sites (N=889) Deal Sites (N=575) Social Networks (N=1,000)
71% 52%
Restaurants 64% Telecommunications 38%
66% 44%
82%
Electronics 63% 48%
66% Magazines/newspapers 37%
43%
77%
Entertainment 58% 50%
66% Automobiles 34%
40%
60%
Food 57% Over-the-counter or 45%
59% 36%
prescription drugs 39%
66%
Household products 56% 47%
56% Financial services 32%
76% 37%
Apparel 53%
56% 38%
Educational Institutions 28%
61% 36%
Travel 49%
53% 39%
Non-alcoholic beverages 34%
63% 35%
Appliances 49%
51% 25%
59% Alcoholic beverages 28%
Personal care products 47% 27%
49% Q6, Q14, Q20
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