A Dialogue about Socialogue: What Global Consumers Are Thinking

So, as a marketer, brand manager, or advertiser, we thought you'd be interested in a snapshot of some recent findings on how consumers are reacting to and responding to many of today's most pressing questions, with a view to how it can have an impact on your brand.

Who Has Made a Purchase Based Mostly on a Social Media Ad or Post?

You're probably wondering this question yourself, since many marketers invest a great deal of time and resources into their social media strategy. But does social sell? Findings from a poll of 18,150 global online respondents show that it does have an impact. Three in ten online consumers in 24 countries indicate that they have purchased a product or service based mostly on an advertisement viewed on a social media site (35%) or on a posting viewed on a social media site (31%). The research was conducted by Ipsos OTX - the global innovation center for Ipsos, the world's third largest market and opinion research firm.

Of the online consumers, the countries with the highest proportions of people indicating they have made purchase decisions based mostly on social media are from Brazil (69% based on an ad, 66% based on a post), followed by Indonesia (68%, 64%), Mexico (61%, 60%), India (57%, 50%), Turkey (55%, 50%) and China (51%, 44%). This group of highly engaged social-purchasers is followed by South Africa (42%, 31%), Russia (40%, 35%), Saudi Arabia (39%, 39%), South Korea (34%, 35%), Spain (31%, 27%), Poland (28%, 24%), Italy (28%, 23%) and Hungary (25%, 21%) rounding out the middle of the pack. The lower groups includes: Sweden (25%, 17%), Japan (19%, 16%), United States (18%, 16%), Australia (17%, 14%), Belgium (17%, 13%), France (15%, 7%), Germany (14%, 13%), Canada (13%, 10%) and Great Britain (9%, 9%).

As for demographics, global averages indicate that those under the age of 35 are most likely to have purchased a product or service based mostly on an advertisement they saw on a social media site (40%) or based mostly on a posting they saw on a social media site (36%), in particular when compared with those aged 35 to 49 (34% ad, 30% posting) and those 50 to 64 (26%, 22%). Those with a high level of education (39%, 35%) are somewhat more likely than those with a low (34%, 29%) and medium (32%, 28%) level of education. Income also appears to be an influencing factor: high income (36%, 32%), medium income (35%, 31%) and low income (33%, 29%). Women (36%, 32%) appear somewhat more likely than men (33%, 29%) to have made social media-driven purchases in the past.

Do Online Global Consumers Enter Brand or Product Sponsored Contests?

Consumers are keeping their eyes on the prize. And you should, too. One in three (32%) online consumers in 24 countries indicate they `entered a contest/sweepstakes sponsored by a brand or product' online in the past month, according to our poll of 18,331 online respondents.

Of the online consumers, Canadians (54%) are most likely to indicate they entered an online contest, followed South Africa (52%), 44% in each of Australia, Belgium and the United States and Brazil (43%). This group of contest aficionados is followed by those from Spain (36%), those at 34% each from Italy, Hungary and Argentina, with India, Poland and France each at 32% and Germany (31%) and the United Kingdom (30%) rounding out the middle of the pack. The lower groups of contestants begin with Indonesia and Turkey each at 27%, followed by those from Russia (25%), China (24%), Sweden (23%), Mexico (22%), Saudi Arabia (20%), South Korea (14%) and Japan at the bottom with just 6%. As for demographics, global averages indicated that women (34%) are more likely than men (30%) to participate in such activities with little variation of age and education however higher income (36%) groups are more likely than middle (32%) and lower (28%) groups.

Would Consumers Rather Search for a Good Deal or Pay More for a Quick Purchase?

Time is money, and there are plenty of people out there willing to invest the time to save a bit of money. A majority (84%) of those in 25 countries would rather `spend time looking for a good deal,' while only 16% would rather `pay more to make a quick/efficient purchase.' The findings reflect our poll of 18,503 online respondents.

The countries with the highest proportions of those indicating they would rather spend time looking for a good deal are: Hungary (94%), Spain (94%), Great Britain (93%), Argentina (92%), Belgium (91%), France (91%) and Germany (91%). This group of deal-chasers is followed by: Australia (90%), Italy (90%), Mexico (90%), Japan (88%), South Africa (87%), Canada (86%), Poland (86%), the United States (85%), China (81%), Russia (81%) and South Korea (81%). The lower group includes: India (79%), Brazil (76%), Saudi Arabia (76%), Norway (75%), Sweden (75%), Turkey (74%) and Indonesia (58%).

Those with a lower household income (88%) are most likely to spend time looking for a good deal. Even those with middle (84%) and high (79%) levels of income, however, would take the time to find a better price. Similarly, those with a low level of education (87%) are more likely than those with a medium (85%) or high (80%) level. Women (86%) are more likely than men (83%) to go hunting for a sale while there is no variability among age group.

Will Global Citizens Switch Brands for One Believed to be Higher Quality, Even if the Price is Higher?

You bet your bottom dollar, yen, peso, or euro that at least some will pay a top price. But you get what you pay for. Nearly half (45%) of those in 25 countries agree - give a rating of five (18%) or four (28%) out of five on an agreement scale - that they will switch brands for one they believe is higher quality, even if the price is higher. One in three are neutral - give a rating of three (32%) out of five - while two in ten (23%) disagree - give a rating of one (11%) or two (12%). The findings reflect a poll of 18,503 online respondents.

Those who appear most likely to prioritize quality over price - providing a five or four rating - hail from: Norway (62%), Sweden (57%), India (56%), Indonesia (56%), Mexico (54%), Brazil (52%), Germany (52%) and Turkey (52%). Those in the middle of the pack are from: South Africa (51%), Argentina (50%), China (49%), Russia (49%), South Korea (49%), United States (47%), Canada (44%) and Spain (44%). Those least likely to agree are from: France (42%), Australia (40%), Great Britain (37%), Saudi Arabia (37%), Hungary (36%), Belgium (34%), Italy (33%), Poland (28%) and Japan (25%).

Socioeconomic variables appear the most likely indicator as to whether or not a global citizen will switch brands for quality, even if the price is higher. Those with a high household income (57%) are considerably more likely than those with medium (45%) or low (38%) to agree. Similarly, those with a high level of education (53%) are more likely to agree than those with medium (46%) or low (39%) education levels. Social media activity also seems to correlate with choosing quality over price: `active' users (50%) are more likely than passive (45%) and inactive (38%) users to agree with the statement.

These are findings of the research led by Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange (Ipsos OTX) collected by Ipsos Global @dvisor as part of Sociologue, an ongoing publication that features conversation-starting commentary on social media trends and behavior. The monthly Global @dvisor data output is derived from a balanced online sample in 25 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system.