The shares for Facebook Inc. have declined again, dropping by 3.8 percent to $25.87 when the market closed in New York yesterday. This comes on the heels of a poll from Reuters/Ipsos that shows users are being influence by comments and ads when purchasing items. Since the shares started trading on May 18, they have lost 32 percent. The poll revealed that 34 percent of users are spending less time on Facebook compared to six months ago. The poll also showed that only 20 percent of users are on the site more often. It was found in the poll that one in five people using Facebook have purchased products as a result of advertising seen on the site.
Facebook said earlier last month that its advertising is struggling to keep up with the growth in daily active users who are accessing the site via mobile phones. On Tuesday, Facebook said that it is giving companies more flexibility when it comes to purchasing Sponsored Stories ads. The ads allow marketers to purchase a message that is placed in the News Feed of a user who exhibits a love for a specific business.
In eight of the 12 days the shares have been traded they have dropped. Morgan Stanley, Facebook’s underwriter, and Facebook, have received major criticism for increasing the amount of shares being sold by 25 percent right before they were to be offered to the public.
Carlos Kirjner, a Sanford c. Bernstein & Co. analyst, said, “the deceleration could prove to be a temporary setback if, over time, Facebook manages to improve monetization of its inventory, both PC- and mobile-based, and maximize the value of social advertising.”