If you’re like most people, you probably check up on your Twitter feed while waiting for the bus and catch your peers’ Facebook updates over morning coffee. Social media platforms give you the option to connect with friends, family, coworkers and even strangers anytime you want. As you browse your preferred social network, chances are you’ll see people posting images or reviews of things they’ve bought. Repeated exposure to these purchases whenever you go online has the potential to affect your purchasing decisions.

Consumer behavior and purchasing

In years past, if you wanted to buy something like a treadmill for at-home workouts or a television for your guest room, you went to a brick-and-mortar store to see what they were selling, what was on sale and what you could afford. If you wanted to know how a product worked, you asked the salesclerk for her recommendation and used her input to form your decision. In the web 2.0 era, you’re more likely to research top products on websites like Amazon.com, price things out and read product reviews from the comfort of home or work before ever setting foot in a store. cheap instagram followers is what all the orgainzations are looking for. They can get more and more audience in very cost and they will also increase the reach of the product being sold. You might see a Facebook or Twitter photo of your friend’s new throw pillows and hop over to the company website to see what other colors they come in, possibly resulting in an order that takes place solely via the Internet. This process of researching your options online and deciding what you want to buy without visiting a store is what Google refers to as the zero moment of truth.

Influencing factors

When you see something on a social media site, it’s because someone else has thought the item was cool enough to share, blessing it with a sort of cache. Just like fashion magazines style their photo shoots to sell clothes and images, the socially shared objects become cool in their new context. You might have liked a dress if you saw it on the rack in a store, but it definitely catches your eye when shared socially. This is the influence factor. The trust factor goes along with influence and refers to the sharing part of the social media. If a friend shares something, such as pictures of their new home gym set-up, their purchases are vetted for you, resulting in the likelihood that you trust the product or service is good. If you’ve got cash to spare, you may purchase something like a book, DVD or piece of clothing without evaluating how much you want or need the product. Vetting can give you peace of mind you’re making a good decision, but can provide false security if you’re whipping out your credit card without a second thought.

To make an informed decision, consider combining impulsive social media shares with third-party or blog reviews to get a more accurate picture of the usefulness, quality and appeal of an

item before purchasing, especially if it’s a big purchase. Social media has the potential to affect both impulse buying and carefully considered purchases, so draw on its power wisely to buy items you’ll actually use and to stay within your budget.