Scrolling through your Facebook or Instagram feed, you see your friend wearing a gorgeous dress in a picture she posted. "Lovely dress, where from?", you comment on it. She replies with where she got it from and you then go and buy it. Simple?

Now imagine this scenario: you are on Instagram and a sponsored post pops up about an ongoing offer on some cute notebooks. You can't resist hitting 'Buy now' and end up splurging on notebooks that you were not looking for at that moment.

In recent times, social media has emerged not only as a highly effective marketing tool for brands but also as a convenient marketplace and a channel for word-of-mouth publicity. It's omnipresent nature majorly influences buying decisions in consumers, especially when it comes to the youth.

People's nature as social beings makes them seek their self worth and validation by sharing details from their daily lives and relationships online. The places they visit, the food they consume, the clothes they wear, anything even remotely "cool" that they happen to buy - all need to be up on social media, helping them document their lives online and up their social quotient.

The ever-increasing popularity of social media platforms as places where millions of people meet virtually makes them great tools for communication and interaction. Click To Tweet

The change in buying behaviour is also determined by the change in the decision-making process for today's youth. The penetration of social media into their daily lives is increasing by the minute. They are virtually living on social media and thus changing commercial and consumption trends accordingly. While in earlier times people bought products after referring to catalogues and magazine reviews, they now prefer shopping in the security of their own homes and offices by buying things through e-commerce websites and social networks. They prefer peer ratings and online reviews to an attendant's recommendation.

The trend of 'Social Media as a Marketplace' shows that social networks are emerging as places where people purchase things, even while e-commerce websites continue to grow. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram which are essentially picture and video-based platforms contribute to the youth's buying behaviour in two ways - by incorporating the "buy" option on brands' pages and connecting them to their websites, and by making people take notice of what their "friends" have that they would like to have, leading to an impulsive buying. An unlikely player in this market till sometime ago, Pinterest is usually looked at as a platform for creators to reference work from. However, the recent incorporation of the 'buy' option ensures that users can now buy the unique, artsy and attractive products that are unique to Pinterest directly on the app/website.

Apart from acting as a marketplace, social media also acts as the most visible connection between brands and their target audience today. The youth prefers to shop from brands that are active on social media because of their visibility and increased credibility. The constant sharing of wants and reviews on social media also makes it easier for brands to tailor products according to the customer's demands or improvise on the existing ones.

The emergence of "influencers" in the form of bloggers and popular celebrities as internet personalities also determines buying behaviour of the youth. Always looking to imitate their favourite stars in everything they do, they tend to buy products the former use or post online about. This makes it even easier for brands to target audiences by collaborating with an influencer who has a following amongst their target groups.

Social media has definitely transformed the youth's buying behaviour at multiple levels and can be capitalized on by brands to communicate with their target audience and serve them more effectively. Click To Tweet