Search, recommendation and social: how consumers discover products
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How consumers discover products - and what each path costs
Opening question
Hook3 min
One flask, four paths
Google query for 500ml flask
Short-video review
Group-buy link in a friends' chat
Direct return to last year's shop
Learning objectives
O1–O42 min
By the end, you can...
Explain four website functions.
Compare paid and organic search.
Describe recommendation as a pipeline.
Separate social marketing from social commerce.
Concept 1 · Website
O14 min
The website is the brand anchor
1
Identity and expectations
Brand promise, plus on-site search that lets buyers find it.
2
Inform and educate
Catalogue, specifications and reviews that answer questions.
3
Shape experience
Recommendation modules, comparison and checkout.
4
Anchor the brand
Social links and email converge on one promise.
Concept 2 · Discovery
O24 min
Four paths, four kinds of intent
1Search
2Recommendation
3Social content
4Direct and repurchase
Concept 2 · Search
O24 min
Paid search versus organic search
Paid search (PPC)
Bid on keywords; pay per click
Starts and stops with budget
Fast, competitive, measurable
Organic search (SEO)
Earn ranking through content and structure
Slow, compounding, algorithm-dependent
No per-click fee, but real content cost
Concept 2 · Ad market
O24 min
Top digital ad platforms, 2020
?Who takes the online advertising money?Swipe horizontally to see the full figure
Takeaway
Google and Facebook take about half of online ad spend. Other online is a derived residual, not a company.
Total online ad market is about US$340bn; total advertising about US$614bn. Do not mix the two denominators.
Actual dataUSD billion · 2020 · eMarketer, via textbook §3.3.2; Other online is a derived residual
Concept 2 · Intent
O23 min
Search works because the query reveals intent
At the moment of querying, the buyer states what they want to compare or buy. The textbook says this makes search ads four to ten times as effective as traditional ads.
When a creator is paid, the audience is entitled to know. Hidden advertising borrows trust and may breach platform rules or consumer law.
Use a clear paid-partnership label.
Keep editorial control over claims.
Disclosure is a professional standard, not a textbook quote.
Concept 4 · Practice
O43 min
Three rules for paid creator content
1
Label
Make the paid relationship visible before the pitch.
2
Verify
Check product claims and demo conditions.
3
Measure
Track orders and returns, not only views.
Case · Teaching case
O1–O46 min
Four weeks, four channels
Case: four weeks, four channels (teaching case)
Search: 2.1% CTR, 3.5% conversion, ~US$5/order
Creators: 800k views, 1.2%, ~US$16/order
Community: 1,200 people, 9%, ~US$2/order
Repurchase: 22%, ~US$0.67/order
All figures are simulated
Materials on this slideFour weeks, four channels
Case analysis
O1–O44 min
Four channels, four jobs
Search
Capture
High intent, but only for known categories.
Creators
Create interest
Expensive per order, strong new-buyer share.
Community
Convert trust
Warm audience, lower cost, limited reach.
Repurchase
Retain
Cheapest orders, but no new demand.
Common misconceptions
O1–O43 min
Claims to retire
SEM is only buying keywords.
SEO is free traffic.
Social commerce equals social marketing.
The two US$90bn figures are one number.
Classroom activity
O1–O412 min
Channel-fit budget review
3 minMap four channels to decision stages.
4 minCompare cost per order, new-buyer share and repeat potential.
3 minHalve the budget and write the new allocation.
2 minLabel spend and revenue separately; defend in 30 seconds.
Materials on this slideChannel-fit budget review worksheet
Self-check
O1–O42 min
Five questions
Q1 website anchoring · Q2 paid vs organic
Q3 two US$90bn scopes
Q4 recommendation pipeline · Q5 disclosure
Summary
All2 min
What you can now do
Audit a website against four functions.
Choose between paid and organic search.
Explain recommendation as a loop with limits.
Keep spend and revenue apart and disclose paid creators.
Sources & next
Wrap-up1 min
Sources and preparation
Textbook §3.3.1, §3.3.2, §3.3.6; §2.6; §3.5.3.
SRC-005 for the advertising survey cited in the textbook.
Next: mobile commerce, social commerce, content and livestreaming (Lesson 12).
Slide 1 of 22
Lesson 11 · 50 min · 1 / 22
Search, recommendation and social
How consumers discover products - and what each path costs
Open with the four discovery paths for one flask. Ask which path the students used most recently.
Opening question · 2 / 22
One flask, four paths
Google query for 500ml flask
Short-video review
Group-buy link in a friends' chat
Direct return to last year's shop
Do not rank the paths yet. Ask what the buyer's intent is in each one.
Learning objectives · 3 / 22
By the end, you can...
Explain four website functions.
Compare paid and organic search.
Describe recommendation as a pipeline.
Separate social marketing from social commerce.
O2 is tested by Q2; O3 by Q4; O4 by Q3 and Q5.
Concept 1 · Website · 4 / 22
The website is the brand anchor
Cover the textbook's four functions and the four site capabilities: search, recommendation, reviews and social links. Use Tesla's battery and range example from §3.3.1.
Concept 2 · Discovery · 5 / 22
Four paths, four kinds of intent
Ask which path creates demand and which captures it. Search captures; recommendation and social often create.
Concept 2 · Search · 6 / 22
Paid search versus organic search
Paid search (PPC)
Bid on keywords; pay per click
Starts and stops with budget
Fast, competitive, measurable
Organic search (SEO)
Earn ranking through content and structure
Slow, compounding, algorithm-dependent
No per-click fee, but real content cost
Say clearly that SEO is not free. Ask which leg a new seller should use first and why.
Concept 2 · Ad market · 7 / 22
Top digital ad platforms, 2020
?Who takes the online advertising money?Swipe horizontally to see the full figure
Takeaway
Google and Facebook take about half of online ad spend. Other online is a derived residual, not a company.
Total online ad market is about US$340bn; total advertising about US$614bn. Do not mix the two denominators.
Actual dataUSD billion · 2020 · eMarketer, via textbook §3.3.2; Other online is a derived residual
The total online ad market is about US$340 billion; total advertising is about US$614 billion. Do not mix the two denominators.
Concept 2 · Intent · 8 / 22
Search works because the query reveals intent
CTR is typically 1%–4%, averaging near 2%.
Clicks are not orders.
Search captures demand; it rarely creates it.
Ask what happens to search ads for a product nobody knows to search for.
Concept 3 · Recommendation · 9 / 22
From behaviour signals to feedback
Walk the flask example through the loop. Emphasise that placement creates the next round of data.
Concept 3 · Limits · 10 / 22
What the pipeline can and cannot do
State that the pipeline is a teaching synthesis of §3.5.3, not a textbook formula. Do not call it objective.
Concept 4 · Social · 11 / 22
Social marketing is not social commerce
Social marketing
Promotion through social channels
Creators, posts, short video, blogs
A cost line in the marketing budget
Social commerce
Transactions completed in social settings
Sign-on, shared reviews, buy buttons
Sales value, not ad spend
This slide prepares the two US$90 billion figures. Ask which column is a cost and which is revenue.
Concept 4 · Two figures · 12 / 22
Same number, different scope
§3.3.6: about US$90bn
2020 social marketing and advertising spend
About 26.5% of online marketing
A cost
§2.6: about US$90bn
2020 social commerce revenue
Business Wire, via the textbook
Sales value
Say it twice: do not add them, do not treat one as a share of the other. The coincidence is the trap.
Concept 4 · Social toolkit · 13 / 22
What makes social commerce work
These tools come from §2.6. Ask which one shortens the path most and which increases impulse returns.
Concept 4 · Disclosure · 14 / 22
Trust is the asset; disclose the payment
Use a clear paid-partnership label.
Keep editorial control over claims.
Disclosure is a professional standard, not a textbook quote.
Ask why a hidden ad is a short-term gain and a long-term loss. Tie it to the trust evidence from Lesson 10.
Concept 4 · Practice · 15 / 22
Three rules for paid creator content
Ask who is responsible when a creator makes a false claim. Brand and creator share the duty.
Case · Teaching case · 16 / 22
Four weeks, four channels
Search: 2.1% CTR, 3.5% conversion, ~US$5/order
Creators: 800k views, 1.2%, ~US$16/order
Community: 1,200 people, 9%, ~US$2/order
Repurchase: 22%, ~US$0.67/order
All figures are simulated
Case is fictional. Ask which channel creates new buyers, not only which is cheapest per order.
Case analysis · 17 / 22
Four channels, four jobs
If budget is halved, cutting creators may save cash now and lose new buyers later. Ask for the trade-off explicitly.
Common misconceptions · 18 / 22
Claims to retire
SEM is only buying keywords.
SEO is free traffic.
Social commerce equals social marketing.
The two US$90bn figures are one number.
For each, point to the slide that corrects it. The quiz checks the same four errors plus disclosure.
Classroom activity · 19 / 22
Channel-fit budget review
Reject clicks as success. Require cost per order and new-buyer share. Check the two US$90bn figures are not added.
Self-check · 20 / 22
Five questions
Q1 website anchoring · Q2 paid vs organic
Q3 two US$90bn scopes
Q4 recommendation pipeline · Q5 disclosure
Q3 is the scope trap; Q5 is the professional standard. Revisit both if missed.
Summary · 21 / 22
What you can now do
Audit a website against four functions.
Choose between paid and organic search.
Explain recommendation as a loop with limits.
Keep spend and revenue apart and disclose paid creators.
Return to the four opening paths and ask which one each student would fund first.
Sources & next · 22 / 22
Sources and preparation
Textbook §3.3.1, §3.3.2, §3.3.6; §2.6; §3.5.3.
SRC-005 for the advertising survey cited in the textbook.
Next: mobile commerce, social commerce, content and livestreaming (Lesson 12).
Remind students that the recommendation pipeline is a teaching synthesis and that case figures are simulated.