Communities generate twelve times more revenue than all other social channels combined

Customers who make contact with a brand via a community are significantly more loyal, committed and satisfied.The study by Millward Brown shows that communities have the power to turn occasional shoppers into loyal customers and have a positive influence on them in the long term. Conversion rates almost doubled after a shopper's first visit to a community. Compared to other channels, a positive influence can also be demonstrated for four times as many customers 30 days after their first visit to the community.Engaged customers buy more oftenIn addition, community users are also more likely to make further purchases: 79% of visitors intended to buy from this company again in the future. This is seven percentage points more than customers who did not engage with the companies via social channels and more than all other social channels.Overall, according to the study, customer communities generated:- 65 percent of all social commerce sales- 52 percent of all social traffic- 7.8 times more shoppers than other social channels- 11.8 times more sales than other social channels- In 13 months, a total of more than 500 million US dollars in direct and dependent sales for the brands studied "This study proves what Lithium Technologies' customers have known for a long time: Our communities give consumers access to valuable content and trusted recommendations from like-minded people - at the exact moment they really need it," explains Bruno Teuber, SVP and General Manager of Lithium in EMEA.Trust and loyaltyAccording to the study, communities lead to a 67% increase in the Net Promoter Score (NPS) compared to customers who do not engage with the brand via social media. The survey also showed how important a brand's reputation and trustworthiness are for consumers:- 72% of respondents value it when a brand has a community- 79% factor the brand's reputation into their purchasing decision- 88% buy from brands they trustBackground to the studyOn behalf of Lithium Technologies, Millward Brown Digital conducted more than 4,000 customer surveys from October 2012 to October 2013 and observed user behavior on social platforms operated by Lithium customers. The companies surveyed include US-based customers of Lithium Technologies from the retail, technology, telecommunications and financial services sectors. The study examined traffic, sales, influences on purchasing decisions and affinity in connection with Lithium communities and third-party social media sites.