HIM Research & Consulting has advised retailers not to prioritise social media over their store’s website.

“We can all get carried away with Facebook and Twitter, but more UK shoppers think it’s more important to have websites versus social media,” client manager Ed Sibley told attendees at the National Convenience Show Live@theCounter session earlier this month.

He stated that the internet was “an emerging route to effectively target shoppers”, but urged retailers to pay attention to which consumer groups use which internet routes.

While a massive one in two UK adults visits Facebook every day, he claimed that Facebook use peaked in people aged below 35, indicating that using it as your primary online presence could isolate a large demographic.

Sibley told retailers that it was vital to “get the basics right” on their websites, as shoppers used them to access key store information such as store opening hours. He added that competitions, freebies and recipe ideas were all big website drivers.