Ads Just Don’t Seem To Be Working On Social Media Sites

An August 2017 study from CivicScience, a next-generation consumer and media analytics company, found that very few US internet users have made a purchase based on ads they saw on social platforms, like Facebook or Snapchat.

In fact, just 1% of respondents ages 13 and older said they made a purchase based on a Snapchat ad they saw, and only 4% said they bought anything based on an Instagram ad.

Overall, out of the various social networks mentioned, respondents were more likely to buy something based on a Facebook ad they saw compared with other social networks.

But again, social commerce adoption among these respondents was low. For the most part, a large share (45%) reported that they have never purchased anything based on ads they saw from these social media sites. Meanwhile, over a third said they just don’t use social media.

US Internet Users Who Have Made a Purchase Based on an Ad Seen on Social Media, by Platform, Aug 2017 (% of respondents)

By and large, social networks haven’t cracked the code for social commerce just yet. One main reason? In many cases, consumers aren’t very interested in buying something while they’re on a social platform.

Via