NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital commerce consulting firm SUMO Heavy today released its 2018 Social Commerce Revisited report which explores the impact of social media on consumer behavior and how emerging social features like messaging chatbots can better serve brands and retailers. The study polled consumers across the country and aims to identify how people interact with different social channels and technology during their online shopping journey.

The survey revisits questions posed in SUMO Heavy's 2016 Social Commerce Survey and compares the results to the realities of social commerce behavior and adoption in 2018. While overall social media use remains high among consumers, concerns related to security, privacy, and legitimacy plague social commerce, a method of shopping directly through a social media platform like Instagram's "Shoppable Tags."

Interactions with messaging chatbots remain low in number, but they have been received positively by consumers. Familiarity with conversational commerce, or shopping through chatbots on messaging apps remains low, though use was expected to increase.

The survey, conducted in May 2018, includes responses from 1,046 U.S. consumers ages 18 and over. 53 percent of respondents identify as women and 47 percent identify as men. According to the survey:

• Social media's influence is on the rise. 58% of respondents said social media influences their purchasing decisions today, compared to 45% in 2016.
• Social commerce transactions have stalled. Despite the recent hype around social commerce, 82% of consumers have yet to transact using social buy buttons or other forms of social commerce.
  
• Consumer awareness is high but so are concerns. 80% of shoppers are familiar with social commerce, but security and privacy concerns keep them from transacting.
• Chatbots are gaining favor as a trusted resource. 72% of people who have used chatbots find them to be helpful and informative. Better yet, 74% of shoppers are now open to making a purchase through a chatbot, compared to 55% in 2016.

"It's no surprise that social media use is as high as ever. Checking and updating these platforms has become a daily routine for the average consumer," says Bart Mroz, Co-founder and CEO of SUMO Heavy. "But ethical concerns regarding privacy and user data have made consumers skeptical when it comes to making transactions via social channels or chatbots. The niche audience of consumers who have had positive experiences, however, signals a future increase in adoption as they become more aware of the benefits of social media shopping and conversational commerce."

Data from the new survey suggests that brands and retailers must continue to leverage social media channels in new ways to market and sell to their customers. While most shoppers have yet to transact directly through these channels, businesses should look to invest in the future of social media shopping and emerging social technology as overall consumer sentiment evolves from neutral to positive in the coming years.

To access the full report, please visit: www.socialcommercerevisited.com

About SUMO Heavy

SUMO Heavy Industries is a digital commerce consulting firm founded in 2010 by Bart Mroz and Bob Brodie, with offices in New York City and Philadelphia. The SUMO team is comprised of experienced strategists, consultants, designers, and developers who work together to help build successful brands and create online retail solutions with proven results.

For more information, please visit: www.sumoheavy.com

SOURCE SUMO Heavy

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