A new study by Yahoo finds that shoppers aren't content to simply make purchases online but are also using the internet as a platform to tell others of their experiences. The study found that 40 percent of the respondents were "brand advocates," defined by the report as "adventurous opinion leaders who are socially well-connected, express their opinions and viewpoints and continually discover new content online," MediaPost reports.

The brand advocates spread opinions via word of mouth, social networks, instant messaging, chat, photo sites and blogging, ClickZ writes. They also have at least a two-to-one rate of convincing an actual friend or family member to buy the same exact product or brand they support.

Key findings: 87 percent of advocates report that they used search engines several times a week, compared with 74 percent of non-advocates; 45 percent said they watched online video several times a week, compared with 19 percent of non-advocates; 32 percent either evangelized their favorite brands via blog posts or message board entries, compared with just 8 percent of the non-advocates.