Social media transforms festive retail
In the retail landscape, the evolution of social media has in many ways gone hand in hand with the evolution of mobile and e-commerce. A recent study by Custora highlighted that mobile traffic to e-commerce sites has increased from three per cent to nearly 37 per cent in the last four years. That social media and e-commerce run in parallel is shown by a Nielsen survey that indicates 92 per cent of consumers trust product recommendations from their peers, while another survey by digital marketing agency ODM Group shows that 74 per cent of consumers rely on social media to inform their purchasing decisions.
The evolution of usage and features has transformed social media’s role to a powerful branding tool that can lead to retail conversion. The public, real-time nature of Twitter, for example, has brought its role to the forefront of companies’ external-facing marketing, communications and sales arsenal, and this is most apparent in the retail industry’s busiest seasons – the year-end holidays.
The real strength of social media platforms when it comes to retail lies in enriching the consumer experience: Reaching first-time customers, engaging and reward existing customers, and showcasing the best your brand has to offer. Analyzing Twitter data, we found shoppers progressively gather information as the festive season went on: 18 per cent look for ideas while shopping; 41 per cent have some information, but are open to further options; only 41 per cent are already very sure of what they want to buy. Across the globe, a recent Nielsen survey showed that close to one-quarter of U.S. consumers (23 per cent) jump started their holiday shopping as early as September.
Whether e-retailers, or brick-and-mortar stores, companies need to better understand the festive shopper journey and how social media platforms influence product consideration, discovery and purchases.
At the core of the consumer experience on social media is the level of engagement and responsiveness they get from a brand – the tenets of customer service. The ubiquity and reach of social media means your brand’s account is now the most visible and influential staff.
Festive buying tends to be a harried experience for consumers, and bringing in your customer service team early for preemptive resolution and engagement puts your brand top-of-mind with the consumer: 85 per cent of customers who have a satisfactory interaction are likely to recommend the brand to others. Shoppers also increasingly engage with brands on social media to get product info. When these users receive a response, 77 per cent feel more positively toward the brand (Twitter Vertical Profile, Millward Brown, 2014). This means it’s crucial for retailers to check their timelines twice and ensure no Direct Message goes unanswered.
Monitoring social channels is an obvious step, but instead of looking for negative comments or problems to address, sentiment and keyword analysis can be used to great effect in planning out strategies to engage with your customers, both for service recovery, as well as for conversion. Take this one step further by encouraging customers to post about and share their holiday buys to entice potential customers. Interestingly, 52 per cent of users say they purchased a product they first learned about on Twitter.
Engage consumers early through the use of richer content, like videos on Twitter and Periscope, infographics and visual instructions for a more pleasant and immersive festive buying experience. Festive shopping peaks off hours: Twitter’s own research reveals shopping-related buzz surges an average of 83 per cent between 8pm to 12am, so holiday season resourcing must take this into account.
Every interaction on social channels is an opportunity to remind customers that there are actual people behind the brands that they engage with. The smartest brands on social media are those who interact with customers using a more personal tone, instead of churning out corporate-speak. Being friendly and responsive is always a good way to start building a stronger relationship with your customers.
Remember, there is no better referral than one that comes from a very satisfied customer:
@HomeDepot customer service was INCREDIBLE! kudos to Todd O for helping me with amending my order. #repeatHDcustomer
— cAp (@CameronPark) December 13, 2014
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