Twitter isn’t about how brands advertise products, but rather how people perceive them, according to a new study from ShareThis.

According to the study, users are more likely to trust the word of people rather than a direct Twitter brand, including technological items as well as cars, recipes and other goods.

“Recommendations have more of an impact than brand or price,” said ShareThis CEO Kurt Abrahamson. “We found that highly positive online shares can generate an almost 10 percent increase in purchase intent, and negative reviews can also have a correspondingly negative impact, (reducing purchase intent by) 11 percent.”

The research went across 6,000 people, asking them how different kinds of reviews can translate into the desire to pay more or less for items. One such comparison was the iPad, which showed that customers would pay $22.26 more based on an “online share,” and $27.42 based on a share from a personal friend or family member. It also goes the other way when a review or feedback is negative.

Do you agree?

Source: The Atlantic