E-Retailers Grew Social Commerce Sales by 26% in 2014

CHICAGO, Jan. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Just three years ago, many retailers may have viewed social media marketing as merely a new branding tool. Today, social media marketing and commerce has emerged as a mainstream and essential digital marketing staple and customer acquisition channel for web merchants of all sizes, according to newly released data and analysis from Internet Retailer's 2015 Social Media 500 database edition and a new companion downloadable executive summary.

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The data reveal that the 2015 Social Media 500 grew social-derived web sales 26% last year, with $3.3 billion rung up collectively. And for some web merchants the growth was much higher last year, such as personalized products e-retailer Zazzle.com, which saw a 476.4% increase in sales from social media.  "Formerly thought of as a luxury for retailers with extra cash to spend, social media marketing has become an absolute necessity for all retailers," says Jack Love, Internet Retailer publisher and chairman. "E-retailers that fall behind the social commerce curve are sabotaging their own online businesses," he says.

Each Social Media 500 web merchant ranked in the 2015 database edition is analyzed by 72 metrics, including social commerce sales figures for the past three years, monthly unique visitors from social networks, conversion rates on social traffic and key engagement data like number of Facebook Likes.

The exclusive data contained in the 2015 Social Media 500 are presented in two formats designed to meet the different information needs and budgets of e-commerce marketers. The first is a $265 subscription to the social marketing and commerce component of the Top500Guide.com database. The second is a downloadable 62-page executive summary PDF version of the 2015 Social Media 500 priced at just $89. It contains a strategic analysis of all 2015 Social Media 500 data plus 13 content-rich tables.

Internet Retailer is the premier global e-commerce research organization that closely tracks and analyzes key social media and commerce trends from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. Internet Retailer social media analysts are available to provide commentary and data analysis on this vitally important marketing topic.

For research information or to arrange an interview with an Internet Retailer analyst, contact: Mark Brohan, vice president, Internet Retailer, at 312.362.9535 or [email protected].

For U.S. media inquiries, contact: Anna Applegate, corporate marketing communications, Internet Retailer, at 312.572.6264 or [email protected].

ABOUT INTERNET RETAILER®

The flagship brand of Chicago-based Vertical Web Media, Internet Retailer® provides comprehensive e-commerce business intelligence through print and digital channels, including a monthly magazine, several research guides, web sites, online databases, webinars and e-newsletters. Internet Retailer, launched in March 1999, is the largest e-retailing monthly magazine with 44,500 subscribers. InternetRetailer.com is the most visited informational web site in e-commerce featuring daily industry news and market analysis. The site attracts more than 205,000 unique monthly visitors. IRNewsLink, a daily e-commerce newsletter, is sent to more than 44,000 subscribers and features a weekly mobile commerce edition.

ABOUT VERTICAL WEB MEDIA

Vertical Web Media is a privately held, Chicago-based publisher that focuses on providing business intelligence for the e-commerce industry. Founded and led by journalists, the company aims to be the largest and most credible provider of objective business information on the market trends, technology, competitive practices and people shaping online retailing. Starting with Internet Retailer magazine, launched in 1999, Vertical Web Media has since introduced more than a dozen competitive data products and is now the largest publisher in e-commerce. Through its Internet Retailer® brand, the company operates a monthly magazine, two web sites, daily e-mail newsletters, and 12 research guides—strategic content designed to equip e-commerce executives with the competitive data they need to help grow their online businesses.

SOURCE Internet Retailer

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