Exacttarget.com has released a new study which reveals the fickle behavior of online consumers. The report was an attempt to nail down United Kingdom shoppers buying behavior by demographic, but the results only reinforced a well known truth; consumers behavior is as unique as the products they buy.

With the ever increasing advertising presence on social platforms like Facebook and Twitter, the study examined how consumers were interacting and responding to the promotions. Surprisingly they found that only about 7% of users actually “followed” a brand on Twitter. This is a relatively minuscule number compared to the 45% who claimed they “liked” a brand on Facebook.

While these numbers are worlds apart, there’s more going on here when it comes to actually purchasing a product. Of those in the study, almost a third of users were more likely to buy after “”following” a brand on Twitter. In contrast, less than a quarter of Facebook users purchased after “liking” a brand on the social platform.

The bad news for both media platform: email is still outperforming them. Over 46% of consumers targeted by email ad campaigns purchased after receiving the ads. It appears social platforms still have some hurdles to clear before they can achieve a competitive success in consumer marketing.

Still, advertising on these platforms is relatively new. With the heavy traffic on both Twitter and Facebook, I have no doubt they are real competitors.

Tim Kopp, CMO at ExactTarget comments on the findings:

“UK consumers expect more from brands than ever before as they turn to email, Facebook and Twitter for exclusive content, special offers and unique experiences,”

“Agile marketers who can drive interaction across online channels and build consumer engagement have a clear advantage, and our Subscribers, Fans and Followers research provides the insight they need to understand what consumers expect.”

If you’re in marketing, or you merely seek to understand the complex behavior of consumers in an online marketplace, you need to read this report. It’s not a definitive guide by any means, but it will help you understand a bit more about what motivates consumers to take action.