New data has revealed that 56% of UK consumers have never purchased from a social media site using in-app shopping features, despite over a third (34%) engaging with the features two to three times a week.
The research was commissioned by unified customer platform Klaviyo, and looked at nationally representative responses of 1000 UK consumers and 1000 US consumers.
In contrast to the hesitancy to part with cash on social media sites, the survey revealed that 34% of Brits are either much more inclined (11%) or somewhat more inclined (23%) to make use of buy-now-pay-later services such as Klarna or Afterpay. As the cost of living crisis bites down, it appears that spreading the financial burden over a number of months is becoming a more attractive proposition to UK shoppers.
Interestingly, across the pond, social shopping in the US has been fully embraced. In contrast to the UK, 79% of social media users surveyed have purchased through the in-app shopping feature with a whopping 37% of US consumers using such features every single day.
When it comes to parting with their pounds or dishing out their dollars on social media sites, both UK and US respondents are most likely to shop on Facebook (35% UK, 55% US).
TikTok gets some attention in the US, with 46% of social media users saying that they have purchased using the platforms new in-app shopping features, however the micro-video platform is struggling to gain a foothold in the UK with just 17% of shoppers having used its services to buy products.
Andrew Bialecki, CEO of Klaviyo said: “It’s clear that global marketers cannot take a one size fits all approach when it comes to social media selling. While US consumers seem ready and waiting to buy products through Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, UK shoppers are still hesitant.
“What’s more, TikTok is struggling to gain a foothold in the UK as a destination for shoppers; businesses looking to attract more UK consumers may be better off exploring payment models that provide greater flexibility, rather than throwing cash at the latest TikTok dance and hoping for the best.
“What’s certain is that taking a blended approach to channel marketing and being super clear about each customer profile and preference will help marketers get the most out of their spend.”
