Social media helps mums to choose electronic items.

Mums thinking about what gadget to get the kids for Christmas will turn to social media before ordering a parcel delivery from an online courier service.

Two-thirds (64 per cent) read online reviews of consumer electronic goods and retailers, according to a survey from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

Of these, nearly two in three bought an item as a result, while over half passed on the information to recommend to a friend.

The importance to businesses of this study is that mums - moms in the US - are the main purchase decision makers in the home, according to CEA senior research analyst Ben Arnold.

"To make more informed decisions, many moms turn to social media sites including blogs, message boards and product fan pages to research products and get first-hand product reviews and recommendations," he said.

The news comes a study from the NPD Group, commissioned by Child's Play Communications found that 79 per cent of US mums with children under the age of 18 are engaged with social media.

Posted by Tom Sands 

Article Added: 17/12/2010 09:35:59