Social networks can be used to streamline the fractured online landscape for customers
Online shoppers are now faced with what seems like a never-ending stream of requests to register or log in to a website in order to make a purchase. Retailers requiring logins run the risk of dealing with fatigued customers who leave registration forms blank, or fill them in with faulty information. However, allowing shoppers to log in using an existing social networking account can provide these customers with a simpler and easier path to purchase.
A July 2012 study by social login platform Janrain, which analyzed more than 365,000 websites that used Janrain’s products, found that Facebook—unsurprisingly—dominated the social login space, and was preferred by 48% of social network login users in Q2 2012. Facebook has exhibited slow and steady growth over the past two years, but has been unable to completely shake Google, which has been used steadily by about 30% of people since Q1 2011. The remainder of social login users were spread thinly among Twitter, Yahoo! and Windows Live.
Social login figures for the online retail vertical paralleled overall figures, with 48% logging in with Facebook and 32% relying on Google in Q2 2012. Among online shoppers, Google may be benefiting from its strong reputation as a secure manager of online identities. Amid ongoing management struggles, Yahoo! has seen its presence dwindle, with share falling sharply from 27% in Q1 2010 to 7% in Q2 2012.
Facebook and Google also maintained their dominance among social logins on mobile devices, at 52% and 27%, respectively. Twitter had a noticeably stronger presence compared to elsewhere, likely due to its heavy use on mobile devices.
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Check out today’s other articles, “US, UK and India Are Top Spots for SMBs on LinkedIn” and “Who Is the UK Mobile Shopper?”