Noteworthy Numbers

Social media graces

 
Many business owners know better than to just share posts about their products and specials on social media websites. But one new study conducted in the UK has revealed another annoyance for consumers — spelling and grammar. Disruptive Communications surveyed more than 1,000 UK consumers on “what was most likely to damage their opinion of a brand in social media,” and 42.5 percent chose poor spelling or grammar, making it the chief complaint. (They also weren’t fans of abbreviations that have become popular in texts.) Coming in second was “Updates are too ‘salesy’” at 24.9 percent, followed by “posts updates too often,” “trying too hard to be funny” and “does not post updates often enough.”

The gripes vary, however, when examining different age groups. The 18- to 24-year-olds want to hear more from their favorite companies, citing “Does not post updates often enough” as their chief complaint at 22.1 percent. Meanwhile, 31.3 percent of 45- to 54-year-olds said companies that were too promotional in their posts was their main pet peeve.

Results from Disruptive Communications are based on a survey of 1,003 consumers in the UK who responded to a question about what was most likely to damage their opinion of a brand in social media. — Source: Disruptive Communications

Black Friday boom

More than 92 million people hit the stores on Black Friday in 2013, up from nearly 89 million in 2012. However, shoppers spent less on average in 2013. Consumers spent $423.55 on average in 2012 and $407.02 in 2013.
— Source: National Retail Federation

Retail sales jump in November

U.S. retail sales rose .7 percent in November, up from a .6 increase in October, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The jump is the highest in five months, and is one of the “signs of a strengthening economy,” according to Reuters.