The news: Reddit and WPP Media found that users increasingly turn to the platform for product research and buying guidance, per research shared exclusively with EMARKETER.

• 79% of Redditors say they conduct more research on products before making a purchase decision than they did a year ago—above the 68% overall who do the same.
• 1 in 3 Redditors frequently use the platform for pre-purchase research, and 63% say they’re more confident in decisions they make based on Reddit community interactions compared with other social platforms.
• 72% of Redditors come to the platform actively seeking information, while 64% arrive with a specific goal in mind, per a Qualtrics and WaveMaker UK internal survey of Reddit users.
• That same data shows that 58% of Redditors agree that seeing brands respond directly to customers in Reddit threads increases trust in the brand.
• 62% of Redditors say a discussion thread debating a product’s pros and cons gives them more confidence in a purchase decision, according to a Reddit consumer sentiment and trust survey.

Why it matters: The research indicates that users increasingly rely on Reddit for purchase decisions and trust the insights they find there, reflecting that Reddit’s recent moves to monetize intent may be paying off:

• Reddit rolled out a Shopify integration globally earlier this month, allowing merchants to deploy ad campaigns using Reddit’s Dynamic Product Ads offering, which uses machine learning and user discussions to craft personalized ad experiences.
• That rollout is part of a broader commerce strategy. Reddit offers ad formats like Collection Ads that pair lifestyle hero images with shoppable product tiles, as well as Community and Deal Overlays that highlight products that are gaining traffic in Reddit conversations.
• An updated search feature pairs community recommendations with shoppable results; Reddit also offers an AI trend detection tool that helps marketers scan user discussions and identify trends for campaign concepts.

Implications for marketers: Brands that meaningfully invest ad budgets in Reddit stand to benefit from access to contextually relevant communities that are more likely to turn into buyers.

With these communities driving up to 16 times higher purchase intent than keyword-based targeting alone and Redditors 30% more likely to engage with ads that appear in relevant subreddits compared with elsewhere, the findings suggest Reddit is particularly well-positioned to help marketers reach consumers during the consideration phase, when purchase intent is still being shaped.

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