“Sociable” is the latest commentary on important social media developments and trends from industry expert Andrew Hutchinson of Social Media Today.

Reddit published a new study, created in conjunction with WPP, which examined how prospective buyers use Reddit insights to inform their purchase decisions. The research also looked at how Reddit communities help shape the consideration process.

The data, based on combined surveys of more than 13,000 Reddit users, highlighted the evolving path to purchase online. It also examined how Reddit’s growing audience is influenced within that process.

Reddit said that influence is often in contrast to traditional marketing approaches.

As per Reddit: “Most marketing frameworks still center on awareness and influence. They’re structured to get ideas in front of people and generate buzz, but that’s not always where decisions happen. There’s usually a pause before people commit, a moment where they investigate a little further to sense-check what they’ve seen.”

This is where Reddit stands out, according to the research. Response data showed:

• Seventy-seven percent of Redditors said they visited two or more communities to validate a purchase decision.
• Sixty-three percent of Redditors said they’re more confident in decisions made based on Reddit community interactions when directly compared to other social platforms.
• Fifty-eight percent of Redditors agreed that seeing a brand respond directly to a customer question in a thread increased their trust in that brand.