Social media is particularly good at driving consumers to try new products or brands, a new report suggests.

Social media influences more shoppers’ buying decisions than retail websites, according to a new report by global marketing company Epsilon Data Management LLC.

The report, “Digital Shopping Tool Impact Study 2015,” finds that retailers’ social media posts and pages have a greater influence on the stores and brands consumers buy from than any other channel, including search engines and retail websites. And brands’ social media posts and pages aren’t far behind in their influence. Epsilon quantifies influence using what it calls an impact score—the average of the percent of users who say a channel has influenced 10 factors, including whether the channel led shoppers to buy products or brands they haven’t previously purchased.

Here are the top five digital tools in terms of impact score, with their respective score:

  • Retailers’ social network posts and pages, 35%
  • Price comparison sites, 35%
  • Shopping apps, 34%
  • Brands’ social network posts and pages, 33%
  • Product reviews, 33%
  • Printable coupons, 32%

When Epsilon exclusively examined what prompted shoppers to try new brands and products, retailers’ social media usage also led the way at 29%, outpacing brands’ social media usage (28%), printable coupons (23%), daily deal sites (22%) and friends’ social media posts (21%).

Social media is influential because consumers interact with retailers’ brands on the platforms in several ways, says Kim Finnerty, Epsilon’s senior vice president, research and insights. Consumers often aren’t on social networks to shop, but if a brand hits them with the right message it can drive a purchase. “It’s that very ‘element of surprise’—that ability to insert itself into nonshopping life and friendly conversations—that makes it so influential,” the report says.

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The “element of surprise” changes the dynamic between consumer and brand. “Social as part of the shopping journey improves the experience and informs the purchase decision,” Finnerty says.

The report is based on an online survey of more than 2,800 consumers, along with in-depth interviews and discussion boards with more than 50 shoppers.

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