Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog

Foresee Results surveyed 10,000 visitors to the largest U.S. e-tail sites to determine how different elements of a shopper's interactions with a company, including social media, impact their purchase intent, loyalty, and recommendations.

Of the 69 percent of online shoppers who say they use social media, more than half choose to interact with customers by friending or following at least one retailer. One-fifth of social media users interact with at least 11 retailers.

The payoff, the report suggested, is that consumers who interact with retailers on social sites are more satisfied and more likely to make future purchases from that brand.

So where should retailers establish a presence? The research from the study indicates that Facebook is the dominant social site, with 81 percent of shoppers saying they use it regularly. Forty-nine percent also say they follow retailers on social sites to learn about offers.

These findings serve as a starting point in directing your social media strategy, but as the report's author Kevin Ertell, vice president of retail strategy ay ForeSee Results, suggests: Go to your customers and find out what they want first. "It's a great way to begin."