Dive Brief:

• Pinterest is the social media outlet most likely to create traffic to retail sites, according to a report by Experian Marketing Services that included Facebook in its research. 

• The retailer most likely to make a sale from Pinterest, Facebook, or YouTube is Amazon.com, according to Experian’s 2014 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report.

• In November, consumers coming from social networks were 7.7% of retail website traffic, compared to 6.6% the year before, according to Experian. 

Dive Insight:

These days all social media sites are making, or planning, significant changes to the way advertising works, so this research from Experian is really just a snapshot in time. Pinterest may or may not keep its spot on top, but it's certainly conducive to marketing. The key takeaway is that social media's influence on retail is growing, and it's up to retailers to find ways to keep customers engaged long after they are directed to their sites.