invokelivesocialcommercereport

Invoke Live! Social CommerceKey Findings Report, October 15, 2010

© 2010 Invoke Solutions - Confidential2

Table of Contents

Study Design 3-4

Executive Summary 5-8

Drivers of Social Media Use 9-11

What Branded Content Resonates and Do Social Media Users

Trust it?

12-16

Influencers on Purchase Consideration 17-20

Geo-location Application Awareness, Appeal and Trust 22-30

Package Design and Social Media info 31

Mobile Check-ins 32-34

Couponing in Social Media 35-36

Perceptions of What is Being Done Well 37


Study Design

Methodology

� This study incorporated the Invoke Solutions’ Engage Live research technology, which enables a dynamic, real-time, moderated discussion with a large, live sample

Participant Design

� Adult males and females evenly distributed across age range from 18 to 50+

� Must have more than one active social media account (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc..) OR be a Facebook account holder with more than 25 friends

� Frequently engage in social media related behavior such as:

� Log into Facebook, LinkedIn or other social networking site

� Check for new tweets from people you follow or tweet yourself

� Participate in a branded community

� Read or comment on a blog

� Write their own blog

� Expect current level of social media use to grow or remain at current level in the future

� Either current user, or not adverse to becoming a smartphone user in future

� Total: n=302

Session Length/Time

� 60 Minute Live Session: Tuesday, September 21, 2010

� 60 Minute Open Session: Wednesday, September 22– September 23, 2010


Background and Objectives

Many companies have embraced social media as a way to engage their

best customers in dialog. But what impact does an integrated social media

presence on the part of a brand or company have on the purchase decision

process? Can social media go beyond being a place for customer

complaints and expand a marketer’s toolkit to influence shoppers to buy

their products? Are some tactics more useful than others?

Specifically we want to explore:

• The role of customer reviews and ratings in product consideration

• Couponing in the new social media era – Are offers via Facebook and

Twitter more effective than traditional couponing efforts?

• The opportunities geo-location and smartphones offer brands to reach

consumers in-store and at the shelf

• Emerging packaging innovations like scan-able product tags that offer

consumers exclusive access to brand experiences in social media

• The impact of the social media channel overall in enriching consumer’s

brand information, purchase decisions and ultimately loyalty


Executive Summary

Drivers of social media use

• Social networking has evolved beyond the need to simply “stay connected”

with friends and family. Important secondary benefits are being

entertained and sharing and gathering information, particularly about

products.

• Roughly 60% of participants cited the opportunity for sharing (63%) and

gathering information (59%) from their network

• Additionally, through open ended responses, participants clearly indicated

that the opportunity to learn about new products and brands was a key

driver of activity

• Further only 10% cited an unwillingness to engage with brands in any form

within social media

• Clearly today’s social media users both expect and accept brands

participating in social networking sites and platforms


Executive Summary

Brand content - what do social media users consider worthy of sharing or

following?

• Two thirds of participants had shared social media content generated by a

brand or company with their network

• A considerable range of traits defined share-worthy branded social media

content for participants including content that was: new or noteworthy

(75%), entertaining (69%), valuable advice (68%), and exclusive information

(67%)

• Financial benefit was also rated highly at 65%, but its fifth place ranking

suggests that social media consumers can be motivated by content without

necessarily expecting a financial reward

• Within Facebook, most participants were willing to follow a brand simply

because it was a product that they liked, suggesting that brand

relationships drive social media interactions more than any inducement to

follow

• Half of the participants would also follow a brand that others in their network

recommended, underscoring the power of peer recommendations


Executive Summary

Purchase consideration and social media content

• Social media is having a profound impact on the purchase decision process

• 47% of participants reviewed comments on the Facebook pages of people they

know when considering purchases

• Further 37% of participants rated those comments as very important to their

purchase consideration

• Participants trust community websites dedicated to a particular area of

interest more so than other forms of social media, signaling that trust in

purchase consideration is directly linked to a perceived lack of bias

• Consumers indicated that social media content from a wide range of

product categories was suitable to evaluate during purchase consideration,

with over half of participants selecting 13 of the 23 categories as suitable

• Technology categories as a whole fared particularly well with 70%, 69%

and 62% of participants citing computer hardware, home electronics

and mobile phone manufacturers as suitable categories

• Restaurants and movies were seen as the most suitable, probably

owing to the social nature of those categories


Executive Summary

Geo-location

• Participants were divided almost evenly between those that have an issue and those that don’t with sharing their location via their smartphone in exchange for a reward of some kind

• Common objections centered around privacy and safety issues

• Those who were willing to share their location generally had an expectation of reasonable limits to that information's use

• Further, participants’ objections centered more around what third parties could do with their information if it was publically shared. This suggests a direct information exchange between consumer and company might have greater appeal for geo-location enabled tools

• Generally awareness of location enabled smartphone applications was low. Foursquare had the highest awareness at 30% despite Google and Facebook (Google Places and Facebook Places) being extremely well known brands

• Google Places had the highest rate of use by our participants, with 10% indicating they had used it before

• When asked to select one app (Foursquare, Google Places, Facebook Places, and shopkick) over the others, 37% chose shopkick despite it having the lowest prior awareness. Reasons cited related to its perceived usefulness versus the other apps


Executive Summary

Social media and package design

• A slim majority of participants would put a product’s Facebook page

information on its package if they could help design the packaging

elements

• The fact that more than half of participants viewed Facebook information

as relevant on a package may indicate that consumers both expect many of

their favorite brands to have a Facebook presence and that they view

Facebook as an important outlet for brand information


Executive Summary

Mobile Check-in

• Over two thirds of participants indicated they were likely to use their smartphone

to scan an on-pack barcode at the shelf for a discount or coupon or for reward

points

• 62% of participants were motivated to share their location via a mobile check-in in

exchange for a coupon from the business they were visiting

• Participants willingness to either share location or scan a code, suggests that the

strongest driver of mobile brand engagement are discounts

Couponing and Social Media

• A third of participants would follow a brand for a coupon

• Nearly a quarter of participants tried a product they would not otherwise have,

due to a coupon, deal or discount offer via Facebook

• While participants did not see a significant difference in coupons offered via

Facebook, they clearly have integrated it into their brand information acquisition

tool set, and it is already an effective additional channel for driving both

awareness and trial

What do companies leverage social media well for?

• Participants gave companies their highest scores for leveraging social media to

drive product awareness and to solicit their input in product development


Social media use is more than just “connecting”

Q) Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = "Very important" and 5 = "Not at all important", please tell me how important each of the following are as you

think about your use of social media such as social networking sites, blogs, communities, twitter and so on.

• Consistent with our findings from the last Invoke Live! on social networking,

participants indicated that staying connected was the most important aspect of

social networking.

• However, important secondary factors are to be entertained and to share and get

information from those in their networks, in particular, about new products.


Social media use is also about acquiring product

information…

• “keep up with friends, keep current with latest trends and information, get the pulse of opinions”

• “ To stay up to date with other people and companies, entertainment, to get review of products, etc. “

• “ keep in touch with friends, make new friends, keep track of new products & services as they come to the

market “

• “ I am curious about the updates of the companies and friends, and celebrities, I have been following on

Twitter... “

• “to find out what friends are doing. Learn about new products or sales. Check up on what my kids are doing.

Also gain a network of peers in the business field “

• “To find shopping deals and free samples. To communicate with other parents to get ideas on anything.

• “To acquire information about specific topics or items. To stay connect with friends and family “

• “To stay connected with friends, family, and colleagues/business associates. To grow the business i work for and

to network with new people…Also, to follow brands I like and to stay up to date”

• “To keep in contact with friends and family and to learn about companies and their products.”

• “To keep in touch with family and friends, play games, see new products, contests and promos”

• “see what family and friends are doing, following people and brands, signup for freebies/contests “

• “ to connect with others who share similar interests, to learn new things and find out about new products.“

• “to follow brands and to stay in contact with old friends and reconnect with friends i haven't talked to in years”

• To catch up with old friends and make new ones. Also to stay up on what my favorite companies are doing,

take advantage of the offers they are putting out there, get weather reports .. everything! “

Q) What are all the reasons you use social media?

• While participants consistently cited staying in touch and connecting with

friends and family as a driver of social media use, many also cited information

about new products, or brands and companies of interest as an additional

activity driver


Facebook dominates brand interactions

8%

10%

13%

21%

25%

30%

36%

44%

50%

50%

50%

54%

64%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Other

I don't interact with companies or brands via social networking

Use a geo-location application such as Foursquare or Google Places

Tweet about companies

Blog about companies

Follow company Tweets

Interact via Other social sites

Participate in a company or branded community

Post comment on company Facebook page

Read Blog post from companies

Share original content / links from the company

Post a comment on other peoples' Facebook page

Post comment on your own Facebook page

Q) Now, just thinking about your use of social media to interact with BRANDS or COMPANIES, please tell me in which of the following ways you

communicate with BRANDS or COMPANIES in your social network. (Select as many as apply)

• Only 10% of participants are not engaging at all with companies or brands in any

form of social media

• Facebook is a hub for interacting with and about brands, with 64% posting a

comment to their own page, 54% posting a brand related comment on other

people’s pages, and 50% posting on a company’s own Facebook page


A majority of social media users are sharing brand

content with their network

Q) Ok now think about your favorite kinds of content in social media. Have you ever shared content generated by a BRAND or COMPANY with

people in your network?

Q) If yes, please tell me what you shared and why. Please be as detailed as possible. If no, just type NA.

• When asked about what kinds of content they share, participants frequently made

observations such as the following:

“I have shared information about new products being released; free samples of products; product

giveaways like sweepstakes; news about products; product recalls“

• The most frequently mentioned key words were “products” (55), “new” (35), “coupon” (28),

“contest” (12)

• When participants gave more specific examples , those comments frequently involved a

favorite area of interest, an ad or contest that was particularly fun or interesting, or a product

they had used that was either a very positive or negative standout (see verbatims next slide)


A majority of social media users are sharing brand

content with their network (cont)

Q) If yes, please tell me what you shared and why. Please be as detailed as possible. If no, just type NA.

• “i posted about a funny axe advert”

• “Carnival Cruise Lines, NCL, Cruisecritic.com, to meet others who are going on our upcoming cruises

and to share information and excitement about the brands. Proctor and gamble, their new

products are amazing, Chilis restaurant, I dont care for them and I let everyone know it, all 2,000 of

my friends”

• "Earths best was having a host a playdate and I shared that with my online community and they got

to get free products and were able to party with this brand”

• “ Happy Jello contest. Have to share photo.”

• “ I found a brand of chips, Wise, that i used to love when I was a child and as soon as I scarfed them

down I scanned the back of them and they actually had a Facebook page, once I logged on , it was

great to see that I wasn't the only one that loved them, which is what I posted on their page.”

• “I shared a coupon for loreal collagen micro-pulse because I am a Buzz Agent…”

• “Yes, I have shared content posted by the Chrysler corp on new models with friends/collegues.”

• “Reebok had a contest...you designed your own EasyTone shoe and posted a pic.”

• “I have shared information about kohls and the certain items like vera wang for breast cancer

awareness.”

• “Information about GM versus Ford products and how Ford products are better. Connected

everything together with some videos and information from new sites.”

• “I've shared with my friends on facebook a certain flavor of pop tarts from amazon.com and that

flavor was apple struedel. I haven't had that flavor in years, and haven't seen it in stores anymore

around here. then I check amazon, and bam, there it is, in a bulk package no less! I want it. and I

will get it….”


Product quality, uniqueness and financial incentives are

key factors of share-worthy branded content

Coupons, Discounts or Deals

• "Discounts and freebies. Customer appreciation.

Something unique or different or thought provoking."

• "coupons are a great way to get noticed, freebies are

things I always share with my friends (free Starbucks,

Jamba Juice, etc.)“

• "If there is a sale or something free, I may say

something to my friends."

• "a great deal/sale on something or information on a

new product that I think others would like"

• "free samples or offers or something thats just really

funny that i want people to know about and see“

• " well, in my case it was a really good deal on a new

product that I thought my friends would like and it

got me interested in the process“

• "if it provides a "deal" to others or if I know someone

is particularly interested in it and they might not

come across it" otherwise (like a local company that

provides natural products)”

New, Quality or Different

• “ If its something that is quality or works for me I want others to

share in the good thing as I would want them to share it with

me too “

• “When something is new or innovative or if i know that several

of my friends will find the information useful or entertaining “

• “If I am interested in it, if I have tried the product, if I like the

product, if I am excited about the product, I become the MOUTH

OF THE SOUTH! “

• “When it is special or different. Like a food product that

completely blows you away with the taste. “

• “The quality of the brand usually.”

• “When they advertise a good quality product, a good value, or

do something good that sets them apart from their

competitors.”

• “If it's a reputable company and they have a great product and

you really like it you should let the company or your friends and

family know about it so they can try it if they want”

• “Something new they are offering. A new product, new,

improved ingredients, discounts or special offers.”

Q)What is it that makes content from a BRAND or COMPANY worthy of sharing? What is it about it that makes you say “That’s

something I want to share with my network”?

• Two themes emerged when participants were asked what distinguished branded content they

would share with their friends – That the content was of noteworthy interest or relevance due to

it being new, or of high quality etc… or a savings opportunity.


Beyond discounts, consumers want to engage brands to

help shape products

Q) Which of the following would incent you to engage with a brand or product in social media? Please select all that apply.

• While a coupon or discount was the most frequently selected reason for engaging with a

brand, 70% and 59% of participants respectively indicated that having a voice or impact on

new or existing product development was a key reason

• The implication for brands may be to consider what new or expanded opportunities their

social media presence could create for soliciting consumer feedback and input on a range of

product ideas, both as a means of improving the products themselves and customer

engagement


Social media users highly value new information

from brands

Q) Which of the following traits would have to define the kinds of brand content you either have shared with your network or would consider

sharing in the future? (select all that apply)

• New or noteworthy information was the most desirable trait for brand generated share-

worthy content, but entertainment, valuable advice, early information or exclusivity, all

scored highly as well

• Financial benefit was also cited frequently but somewhat surprisingly, it was the fifth most

frequently selected trait out of the seven traits participants were asked about


It doesn’t take much encouragement to interact with

brands via Facebook

Q) Please indicate if you have done any of the following (please select all that apply):

• Most participants interacted with a brand via Facebook simply because they liked

the product

• 49% of participants have started following a brand because a contact did,

confirming that the influence of peer behavior and recommendations is a

considerable force within social media


Company websites still dominate as information source

during purchase consideration, but Facebook looms…

Q) Which of the following, if any, have you consulted when considering a product purchase? (Select all that apply)

• While more participants rely on comments and reviews on company websites,

nearly half considered comments about a product prior to purchase on a friend’s

Facebook page or the company’s Facebook page

• A full third of participants also consulted company blogs and product or community

sites, reinforcing the need to encourage dialog across all social media formats


Customer comments and reviews posted in social media have as much weight as those posted on a company site

Q) On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "Very important" and 5 being "Not at all important", how important are each of the following to you when

considering a product purchase?

• Participants consistently rated comments and reviews from people they know as

important with nearly as many indicating product comments on friend’s Facebook

pages were important as customer reviews or comments on a company’s main

webpage

• Also seen as important are the comments posted in an interest-driven community

site, reinforcing the value of unbiased peer comments in purchase decisions


Trust in product information is directly linked to perceived lack of bias

Q) On a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being "Trust completely" and 5 being "Do not trust at all", how much do you trust customer reviews or testimonials

in the following various formats?

• 60% of participants trust product reviews on websites dedicated to particular interests

• Nearly as many trust product reviews on independent blogs

• These numbers align with our early Invoke Live! finding where 64% of participants indicated

that an open dialog with both positive and negative comments, was extremely or somewhat

important to their trusting a social media content source


Participants view branded social media content across a

wide range of categories as relevant

Q) Which of the following categories of products do you think are more suitable for using social media as part of the purchase decision process?

Please select all that apply.

• Over 50% of participants indicated 13 of the 23 total categories as suitable for using social

media in the purchase decision, suggesting that social media has broad applicability

• The top scorers, restaurants, 72% and movies, 71% , are perhaps not surprising given their

social nature

• Technology categories such as computer hardware, home electronics, and mobile phone

manufacturers fared well with 70%, 69% and 62% respectively of respondents selecting them

as suitable product categories; These high scores were supported by verbatims where

participants said social media was particularly useful in researching larger ticket items

Restaurants 72%

Movies 71%

Computer hardware / software 70%

Home electronics 69%

Mobile phone manufacturers 62%

Home appliances 58%

Food items 58%

Automobiles 53%

Home cleaning products 53%

Beverages 52%

Mobile service providers 51%

Beauty products 50%

Music 50%

Over-the-counter healthcare products 47%

Outdoor / sports equipment 46%

Apparel / shoes 40%

Home hardware 39%

Candy 37%

Sports / other live entertainment 37%

Financial services 35%

Jewelry / accessories 31%

Prescription drugs 27%

Other category 7%

None Of The Above 5%


Sharing location not an issue for half of participants

48%

52%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

No

Yes

Q) Does the idea of sharing your location in exchange for an incentive of some kind raise any issues for you?

• Participants were nearly evenly divided when asked if sharing their location with a

company, brand, or retailer was an issue for them

• Those who raised objections cited safety and privacy concerns, while those who had

no issue with sharing their location in exchange for an incentive were far more likely

to cite an expectation of reasonable use or individual responsibility


People want some measure of control over “sharing” their location….

Q) Some of you say it raises issues. What issues concern you about location based applications?

• “nothing , pepsi isnt going to stalk me at walmart”

• “While I would enjoy the benefits of the GPS, would like to have some type of agreement that details company

privacy policy before using“

• I would assume you would have control of allowing a company to know where you are. Do not use the App if you

do not what the location disclosed.”

• “It doesn't concern me...they already know your location anyway if you purchase with a credit card or store card”

• “I think as long as the consumer initiates the process of providing the location that there is no issue, when the

retailer is able to pick up the location , that is where I have issue with privacy”

• “I wouldn't have issues as long as it was an opt in situation and not being automatically tracked”

• “would really depend on what is done and where the information is dispersed.”

• “store location is no issue, you are not sharing any personal info”

• Some clear themes broke through among participants who did not object to

sharing their location. Specifically they wanted to consent upfront to sharing that

information, actively choose when to share, and be aware of limits and safeguards

on information obtained

• The implication for companies and brands looking to include geo-location enabled

mobile apps in their marketing mix is that consumer communication needs to

specifically address how they will both use and safeguard information collected


…Since safety and privacy top list of “sharing”concerns

Q) Some of you say it raises issues. What issues concern you about location based applications?

• “I wouldnt mind if the company knew but i would not want other online users to know when i'm at home or not”

• “Too much big brother. I would be afraid others would intercept that information for the wrong purposes. (Home

thefts as they knew I was away from home etc...)”

• “Not really that comfortable with sharing my specific location at a given point< just kinda weird.”

• “I don't want to be tracked all the time. If I get coupons from my phone, I don't want it to be in exchange for

them knowing exactly where i am at the time.”

• “It would be better to just be able to state what store you are entering so that no one would be able to know

specifically where you are. Safety reasons.”

• “safety...clearly the world would know we are not home if we are at the grocery store, etc. application”

• “The potential danger aspect of it. Security issues go along with most social networking sites.”

• “I would love it on one hand, but would not want my info or area I am to others there would have to be a very

sharp privacy”

• “PRIVACY. Who am I giving this information to and how is it stored/used?”

• Among those participants who did object to sharing their location, the objection

was not necessarily centered around companies use of information as much as

concern over what third parties would do with the information

• This suggests that apps which enable direct information exchange between

consumer and company might have greater appeal than those where location is

fully published to a larger social media audience


Geo-location Enabled Mobile Applications


shopkick

Q) Have you ever heard of this application before?

Q) Have you ever used this application? (If you indicated in the previous question that you haven't heard of it before just select No again here)

Q) Please repeat your answer and tell me what makes you more interested in using this application

• shopkick had the lowest prior awareness level of the geo-location based

applications tested; even fewer, 2%, had tried it prior to the session

• Despite both low awareness and trial, it was of considerable interest to many

participants, who cited its simplicity, non invasive nature and potential to add a fun

dimension to shopping experience

Awareness Use

• “I like Shopkick. It seems like an interesting concept. Brings some of the advantages of online shopping to the instore

shopping experience. i could see myself using this app.”

• “Shopkick because I love to shop and this would make it even more fun”

• “shopkick I would love to use a free rewards program like this “

• “shopkick because i love to shop and it sounds easier to use the others sound cool too but i tend to be some what technology

hanicapped lol “

• “i picked shopkick because i like the idea of geeting rewarded for going shopping and its not invasive”


Google Places

• Google Places, had considerably higher awareness than shopkick at 24%, but lower than both

Facebook Places and Foursquare

• Despite low awareness, Google Places was used by more participants, 10%, than any other

application tested

• Among those participants who indicated that they were interested in using Google Places,

many cited its usefulness, non-invasive nature and ability to provide information on local

businesses as key factors

UseAwareness

• “ It is close between google places and shopkick, but i pick google places. i like the informative nature of it, and i would not

have to give my location.”

• “ I'm interested in Google Places. It's seems to be an informative idea to help choose where you want to go and provides

choices and ideas to where you may want to be. “

• “Google Places seems like the most useful, especially for small businesses “

• “google places. business oriented. helps customers to find the business.”





Foursquare

• Foursquare had the highest awareness level, at 30%, of any of the apps, but the

second lowest trial level at 3%

• A majority of participants who expressed interest in using Foursquare cited fun as a

key factor, which suggests that Foursquare has yet to break through as a useful app

despite its high awareness levels

Awareness Use

• “Foursquare, looks interesting, versatile, and fun.”

• “Foursquare, maybe, because I know several other people that use it.”

• “Foursquare because it looks more fun to use and more interactive”

• “foursquare...looks fun and neat “

• “Foursquare, it seems more interesting than the others.”





Facebook Places

• Awareness of Facebook Places was second only to Foursquare, with nearly a third of

participants indicating they knew of it prior to the study

• Only 5% of participants had used Facebook Places, but this may owe in part to its

relatively recent release on August 19, 2010

• Participants who indicated they were interested in using Facebook Places cited the

fact that they were already users of Facebook, their friends’ use of FB Places, and

its social nature as key factorsAwareness Use

• “Facebook Places since I know people that use it and like it overall although there are some concerns about the world

knowing too much about what they are doing.”

• “facebook places because i already use fb and i have friends using this ap already”

• “facebook places. . .since I am always on fabebook anyhow it makes sense to just use that one “

• “Facebook Places. It just seems like something cool to use and tell your friends where you are at.”





shopkick held greatest overall appeal

Q) Now that you have seen all four applications, please tell me which one you would be most interested in using.

• More than a third of participants, 37%, selected shopkick as the app that held the

greatest interest for them. shopkick performed better than the other apps despite

having the lowest prior awareness at just 6%, reinforcing its appeal as a useful and

not just entertaining app.


Consumers want Facebook information on packaging

Q) Imagine the packaging of one of your favorite grocery or drugstore products was being redesigned and you could help with that process. Which

of the following types of information would you want included?

• Over half (54%) of participants would put a product’s Facebook page information on a product

package, signaling that consumers expect many of their favorite brands to have a Facebook

presence and that they view Facebook as an important outlet for brand information

• Unsurprisingly, more than 75% of participants would also put a product’s website information

on a package

• Least desirable was a Twitter handle


Smartphones are the mobile phone of choice for a

majority of the socially connected

Q) Do you currently own a smartphone such as an iPhone, Android phone, Blackberry or Windows Mobile phone?

• 55% of participants indicated they had a smartphone, confirming the opportunity to engage

consumers through social networking on a mobile platform is growing

• Coupled with our finding from the last Invoke Live!, that 16% and 46% of participants

respectively cited social media access as either a “primary driver” or a “nice driver” of their

future smartphone purchase, brands can reasonably anticipate growing demand for mobile

enabled content and applications


At the shelf, most consumers want to leverage social

media to realize savings

Q) Continuing the assumption that you are a smart phone owner, how likely would you be to scan barcodes on packages with that phone on store

shelves or in ads in exchange for the following. Please use a scale from 1 to 5 where 1 = "Very likely" and 5 = "Not at all likely".

• 71% of participants indicated they were likely to scan an on-pack barcode at the shelf or in an

ad for a discount or coupon. Nearly as many were willing to scan a barcode for reward points

• 44% and 43% of participants indicated they would be interested in exclusive product

information or recipes

• A full third of participants would scan a barcode to access social media content like a

Facebook page or microsite


Mobile check-ins are driven by targeted coupons, reward points, or deals

Q) Smartphones with GPS allow you to "check in" from you current location in exchange for rewards and information. Would you be willing to share

your location through a social media application in exchange for...: (Select all that apply)

• 62% of participants were motivated to share their location via a mobile check-in in exchange

for a coupon from the business they were visiting, suggesting that the strongest driver of

location sharing was an immediately applicable discount

• Nearly as many (60%), were willing to share their location for reward points, indicating

consumers are comfortable with social media applications that are akin to store reward cards,

where rewards are amassed over repeated visits


Coupons would drive a third of participants to “like” a brand

Q) If a company or brand offered a coupon or discount to “like” them on Facebook would you accept? Why or Why not?

Yes

• "yes, I would, I've done many times already"

• " yes, if it was a brand that i use or have used anyway

especially, i have done this before”

• "Yes I would, even though I know that they also are

benefiting by accessing our personnel information.”

• " yes you never know when you may shop there”

• "yes, I would. I am advocate of saving money!”

• "Most definitely. This is the main reason I have a

Facebook account. I am a big fan of coupons and

Facebook offers a lot of them!"

• " As long as it's a product I wouldn't be embarrassed

about sharing with the FB community that I like...”

No

• " Not for a coupon. i would have to believe in the

company."

• " No! My credibility is at stake. If I really did not like

them I would not accept no matter what they gave

me."

• "no, another form of spam"

• " NO and NEVER... Liking should be voluntary and

without price; Companies that offer that benefit should

be UN-LIKED"

• "no because if i dont like it i'm not going to say i do just

to get a discount"

• “not if it was not somthing i needed or truly wanted”

• "Really depends on the company - is it one I truly use

and like? And also on the type of reward - would it be

one I would actually use?"

• Those who indicated they would not “like” a company for a coupon cited their

credibility (likely with people in their Facebook network), concerns over spamming,

and their need to believe in the company first and foremost


Nearly a quarter of participants have tried a product

because of discount or coupon offered via Facebook

• “yes, schick razor”

• “Yes once when I got a sample of a lip stick. I loved it so much that I went to the store and bought mmore.”

• “international delight creamer. gave me a free coupon for their improved creamer”

• “yes, I bought Lysol healthy touch soap dispenser because there was an exclusive really good deal for liking a

retailers page”

• “I tried a couple of new Del Taco products”

• “Yes, Kashi baked cereal bars and Bear Naked granola”

• “Yes the M&Ms pretzels. “

• “yes I did, the new kraft homestyle mac and cheese before it hit the stores”

• “yes , it was for crest 3D strips ,new V8 fusions withfruit and white tea , a new deodorant by degree”

• “Yes, I got a free sample of a new cheetos flavor and also Pretzel M&M's”

• “I liked on the Wisk page to get a sample-I doubt I would have tried Wisk had they not offered the sample”

• “Kashi, I actually started to use it after sampling it, among others”

• “Burts Bees offered a free sample of a new toothpaste (I believe), and I purchased the product because I

sampled it and it was wonderful.”

Q) Thinking about the discounts and coupons offered by companies on Facebook, would you or have you ever tried a new product you may not

otherwise have tried because of an offer there? If yes, what was the product?

• The products those participants cited had a wide range from razors, to snacks,

premade meals, and cleaning products

• Some participants even shared that they continued to use the products they

initially tried due to a Facebook offer


Companies are doing a good job of leveraging social

media to drive new product awareness

22%

23%

24%

25%

29%

39%

31%

33%

30%

31%

30%

29%

36%

32%

29%

32%

30%

20%

12%

12%

17%

12%

10%

11%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Learn about unmet needs

Change brand perceptions

Deliver better customer

service

Listen to their customers

Develop new products with

input from consumers

Raise awareness of new

products

Extremelywell

Very well

Not very well

Poorly

Q) On a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 = "Extremely well" and 5= "Poorly", how well do you think that companies are using social media to do the

following:

• Nearly 70% of participants think companies do a good job of leveraging social media to raise

awareness of new products

• Perhaps more importantly, and given that 70% and 59% of participants respectively indicated

that having a voice or impact on new or existing product development was a key reason for

their branded social media activity, nearly 60% think that companies are effectively using

social media to develop products

invokelivesocialcommercereport

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