The meteoric rise in the use of social networks has in-turn given rise to a new kind of shopper, the savvy shopper. Social networks are indeed making people far more shopping savvy, by simply offering a platform for ideas, trends, views, news and reviews to float around and be passed on at the speed of light.

Taking a closer look at the features and benefits of social networks themselves, the ability to quickly share virtually any information is only a couple of clicks of the mouse away, or a couple of Smartphone screen flips/mobile phone button presses away. People can share and essentially broadcast information about what they're up to, where they are and who they're with instantly, with the added luxury of adding a picture to the description as well.

The power of such a platform quite easily and readily spills over into the shopping world, where connected social network users share information about where they are shopping, why they are shopping at that particular location, how much they are spending and even go as far as sharing pictures of exactly what it is they are purchasing. This process instantly accounts for a plethora of savvy shoppers, simply because they have a wealth of highly specialized knowledge about the shopping scene, possibly from the best point of view -- their trusted contacts.