WebProNews

Forty percent of consumers have made a purchase based on advertising they saw on a social media site, and 76 percent said they were comfortable with advertising on social networks, according to a new report by Razorfish.

"Connected consumers embrace social media, are actively building and refining their own trusted personal networks and are rapidly dabbling with emerging communication offerings like Twitter," said Garrick Schmitt, Razorfish Group Vice President of Experience Planning and FEED editor.

"We find that consumers are more open to advertising as part of their everyday experience than commonly assumed."

The report found that 65 percent of connected consumers say that retail loyalty programs influence purchasing decisions.

Loyalty services like Amazon's Prime or Best Buy's Reward Zone are key for retailers to do well in the competitive online environment.

Web sites that offer personalized recommendations strongly influence connected consumers. Over half (65%) said that they have made a repeat purchase on a site that featured an automated recommendation based on their previous purchase.

Schmitt said that 60 percent of consumers use widgets on Web sites, and close to half watch videos on their mobile devices.

"The uptake of widgets, mobile devices and social media tells us that marketers need to design experiences for consumers across a world of fragmented digital media," he said.