56% of Shoppers Get Promo Info from Retailers' Facebook Pages

Retailers' Facebook pages are taking the place of ad circulars for more than half of online shoppers: 56.2% of consumers visit these pages to stay up-to-date on sales and promotions, and it's the top-ranked reason for such visits, according to the Compete quarterly Online Shopper Intelligence Study.

Facebook pages have quickly become an important part of the shopping experience. The study reveals that one-quarter of responding consumers visit an official retailer or consumer goods Facebook page at least once a month, and more than 20% said Facebook pages have been "influential" or "extremely influential" in making a purchasing decision.

"Nearly half of consumers in the study reported that they are a fan of five or more retailers/brands on Facebook," said Compete managing director of retail and consumer products Matt Pace.

The survey identified online shoppers' top five reasons for visiting a retailer Facebook page (multiple responses were allowed):

Keep up-to-date on sales and promotions: 56.2%
Learn more about a specific retailer: 29%
Appears in news feed/friend "likes": 26.4%
Let others know why they prefer the retailer: 13.7%
Connect with others liking retailer: 13.6%

The study, conducted in April and May 2011, is based on a survey of 3,269 online purchasers.