SHARETHIS  

CONSUMER SHARING TRENDS REPORT Q2 2014

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Q2 2014 CONSUMER SHARING TRENDS REPORT Analyzes consumer sharing behavior from April to June across the entire ShareThis network.

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4.5 MM UNIQUE USERS 2.5 MM SITES & APPS 120+ SOCIAL CHANNELS DESKTOP & MOBILE DEVICES

The Social Media Landscape Continues To Diversify •  Pinterest and Twitter sharing activity continue to grow, while Facebook stagnates. •  Mobile users pin and tweet 3x and 2x as often as desktop users, respectively.

People Use Different Platforms To Socialize Different Interests

•  Politics and business are more likely to be shared on Facebook, via desktop. •  Twitter has become the de facto channel for sports and finance, especially on smartphones. •  Pinterest users, particular those on tablets, engage actively with fashion, home, and CPG content.

Mobile Is A Key Driver Of Social Activity

•  Mobile sharing activity grew by 19% over the quarter, led by smartphones. •  Despite representing only about 30% of overall browsing activity, mobile devices drive 50% of sharing. •  People are twice as likely to share and engage with shared content on their mobile devices.

On Mobile, Ecommerce Thrives

•  Users share and engage with fashion and general CPG content 20% more often on smartphones. •  On tablets, user engagement is concentrated around home supplies and food.

Certain Audiences Find Their Niche In Different Devices

•  Nearly half of sharing on tablets was driven by users 55 and up. •  Smartphone sharing among African American audiences increased by 15% over the quarter. •  Similarly, tablet sharing among Hispanic audiences grew by 8%.

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PINTEREST CONTINUES TO GAIN

SOCIAL CHANNEL BREAKOUT COMPARISON TO LAST QUARTER

Together, Pinterest and Twitter stole just over 2% of Facebook’s share of social activity last quarter. Channels such as Blogger and Tumblr also won this quarter, while email and LinkedIn

continue to stagnate.

64% Of all shares were

on Facebook

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IT’S BECOMING A MOBILE WORLD

GROWTH Q1 – Q2 2014

DEVICES

Overall mobile device activity grew by 19% since last quarter. Much of this growth was driven by smartphones, which experienced a

28% lift in activity this quarter.

MOBILE OPERATING SYSTEMS

Android adoption continues to increase, while Windows Phones

are beginning to lag.

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MOBILE DRIVES SOCIAL ACTIVITY Mobile devices represent 34% of overall browsing activity (search and page views), but drive half of social activity.

SOCIAL RATE (sharing activity as % of total activity)

People are twice as social on their handheld devices.

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ON MOBILE, TWEETS & PINS THRIVE

SOCIAL CHANNEL ON MOBILE

Mobile users pin and tweet 3x and 2x as often as desktop users.

Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest dominate the social web on mobile.

DEVICE HSARES OF CHANNEL ACTIVITY 75% of all Twitter and Pinterest sharing is now mobile (compared to 50% of Facebook sharing).

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THERE’S A PLACE FOR EVERY CONVERSATION Users share and consume different content depending on the network they’re on. Facebook tends to be the place for

politics and family, while Twitter is the natural forum for snappy, real-time topics like news, finance, and sports.

CATEGORY SHARING INDEX* BY SOCIAL CHANNEL

*Index represents the relative difference between sharing activity on a specific social channel and overall sharing activity, within a specific content category. For example: Facebook generates 2% more Arts & Entertainment sharing activity than other channels.

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SOCIAL ECOMMERCE THRIVES ON MOBILE People socialize their shopping activities more often on the go: users are 20% more likely to share and click back on

fashion and grocery content on their smartphones.

CATEGORY SHARING INDEX* BY DEVICE

*Index represents the relative difference between sharing activity on a specific device and overall sharing activity, within a specific content category. For example: desktops generate 2% less Arts & Entertainment sharing activity than other devices.

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TABLES GAIN TRACTION WITH BOOMERS QUARTERLY GROWTH

Tablet sharing among users aged 55+ nearly doubled since last quarter.

PORTION OF DEVICE ACTIVITY 43% of social activity on tablets was driven by users 55+, compared to 21% on smartphones and 34% on desktop.

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MOBILE ADOPTION CONTINUES AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN AND HISPANIC AUDIENCES

QUARTERLY GROWTH Overall, social engagement on mobile devices grew 13% among African Americans and6%

among Hispanics. The chart below breaks this growth out by device.

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MOBILE SHARERS ARE MORE ACTIVE IN THE EVENINGS

Users share on their desktops throughout the day, but engage more actively

on their smartphones and tablets after 6 p.m.

SOCIAL ACTIVITY BY HOUR OF DAY

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IMPLICATIONS & RECOMENDATIONS

Go Mobile (if you haven’t already)

By now, mobile has cemented itself as a key platform in

the social web. It's never been a more critical (and

auspicious) time to develop a strong mobile strategy -

users are more social and more engaged on their

handhelds than anywhere else, making mobile a prime

foundation to amplify your messaging. However, it’s not

enough to simply diversify your media budget; taking full

advantage of mobile means understanding user

behavior across devices and aligning your messaging

and targeting efforts accordingly.

Align Your Content

Different platforms lend themselves to different

conversations. Twitter, with its fluid real-time feed, is the

sensible forum for news and sports. Tablets are tactile,

and the choice device for users to swipe through Pins

and videos. Master the characteristics of the various

channels and devices, aligning your media and content

strategies to taste.

Diversify Your Channels

The social media landscape continues to diversify, and

so should your media strategies. The volume play doesn't

mean as much as it used to. Facebook may own 60% of

shares, but Pinterest, Twitter, Blogger and the like should

be treated as powerful voice boxes for highly engaged

audiences.

Engage Shoppers In The Aisles

An unspoken and often untapped advantage of mobile

is its proclivity toward ecommerce. Users are generally

more engaged with ecommerce on devices they can

take with them to the store. Reaching these users

heightens the possibility of captivating their interests at

the peak of purchase consideration.

Know Your Audience

Certain audiences have been especially receptive to

the mobile movement, and it's not just because they're

buying more devices - they're more active and

engaged on them. Leverage mobile to amplify your

messaging with key demographics.