According to a survey from YouGov, almost four in 10 online consumers in the U.K. (39 percent) like to keep their social media and shopping activity separate. Around the same proportion (42 percent) believe that networks such as Facebook and Twitter are for "friends, not retail."
Surprisingly, the youngest online shoppers (16-24 year olds) are the keenest to separate retail and their social networking activity. In that age group, 61 percent indicated they like to keep their social networking and online shopping activity separate and 57 percent don't like sites such as Twitter and Facebook to be linked with their purchasing history.
Having a social presence also works against trust, according to the report, "E-commerce: Trust in Online Transactions." Fifty-five percent said a store having a presence on a social networking site makes them trust the retailer less, while just over a quarter (27 percent) said it makes them trust it more. The figures were similar for Facebook users (55 percent trust less vs. 33 percent who trust more), and Twitter users (52 percent vs. 37 percent).
Only 10 percent used social networking sites to research products.
A recent survey from Kentico Software, a web content developer, likewise found an indifference to brands on social media. According to the survey, 68 percent of U.S. respondents either never or hardly ever pay attention to what is posted by the brands they like or follow on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. At the same time, only five percent reported un-liking or un-following these brands.