Social Advertising’s Role in Accelerating the Shopper’s Journey

New research highlights the convergence of social and ecommerce

More than half (51%) of people made a purchase from a social ad this past summer. This shift in digital behavior—likely accelerated by the pandemic—means brands may want to reevaluate their social advertising to take a more performance-driven approach.

The fact is social media plays a much more prominent role in the shopping journey, but many advertisers are still not looking at the channel that way. Smartly.io’s latest research, “The Evolution of Social Advertising in 2020,” identifies how consumers continue to seek out products and services to purchase directly from social ads, and how marketers can align their strategies accordingly.

See the complete findings from “The Evolution of Social Advertising in 2020”

Among the key insights from the research:

  • People turn to social to learn about new products. In fact, social media has become a key part of the product discovery and purchase process for 32% of global consumers.
  • Because consumers expect tailored messaging, marketers who send personalized and relevant campaigns will continue to see high consumer engagement.
  • Not all industries are having similar experiences on social. More than 4 in 10 global consumers are open to shopping for fashion via social ads. Travel, on the other hand, is still struggling.

Check out “The Evolution of Social Advertising in 2020” to learn more about what global consumers expect from social advertising.