It’s long been believed that those who actually use social network sites are those who spend quite a bit of time online as well as use the Internet for other activities. In fact, there has been little doubt in those assertions, but a new study shows that a vast majority of American social networkers use the Internet to do a good deal of their shopping.

This new report comes on the heels of a report from last month showing that more than half of all American adults are now using social networks. That number is higher than it has ever been. Nielsen’s third quarter study which was recently released shows that nearly 75 percent of adults who use sites like Facebook and Twitter also shop online. Of course the study also shows just how much more likely people who use social networks are to shop online than those who don’t. According to Nielsen, adults who use these sites are 12 percent more likely than the average internet user to actually do some shopping online. 

It is the popularity of online shopping that has lead to business like Amazon and eBay being as successful as they are. It is also the popularity of shopping with heavy Internet users that has driven Best Buy to launch a third party retail site. 

The study also showed some trends that businesses all over the world should pay close attention to. Among those who use social networks, Facebook is the leader by a wide margin, followed by Yahoo and Google in terms of number of users. Additionally, nearly 40 percent of social media users access the sites from their smartphones. A specific demographic of the person who uses a great deal of social media sites and also shops online has emerged as well. This user is a woman between the ages of 18 and 34, who is most likely from Asian or Pacific Islander descent. She’s got her bachelor’s degree but hasn’t exactly found her pot of gold yet, making less than $50,000 annually. In all, advertisers on Facebook should be aware that nearly 62 percent of that sites traffic is coming from females.

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