Why Social Media Engagement Is Important in Retail
Why Social Engagement in Retail is Important
It is a known fact that customers are more likely to spend money with retail brands that are responsive on social media. And in order to be ready for the holiday rush, some retailers are trying their best to keep up with the demands of their customers in the upcoming holiday season.
Retail brands are working overtime to ensure that their social media channels are covered during the holiday season. The consumers are more likely to use social media in order to connect with the customers. A lot is at stake for retailers. It has been estimated that sales numbers will reach up to $656 billion this year.
According to a survey, six out of every seven consumers do their research using the internet before they go out and do their shopping. Social commerce revenues have reached $14 billion in the United States alone in 2015.
Twitter, one of the most popular social platforms today, stated that consumers are more likely to spend 20 percent more with a retail brand if the company responds to them. Another report showed that 34 percent of consumers were influenced by the social engagements of the brand.
Social Engagement Leaders
A study was conducted that involved top brands such as Sephora, North Face, Amazon, Target, Nike, Walmart, Rei, and Lululemon Athletica. Among them, Amazon and Sephora had the most social engagement.
However, when it comes to content, Nike and Target did a good job of developing content with influencers. And among the social channels, Target co-created more content on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook
Instagram is becoming one of the most popular platforms among consumers. Out of the eight brands that were part of the study, Nike, Sephora, and North Face gave out the strongest message on the channel.
Holiday Shopping Ready
Social engagement has a huge impact on the consumers’ brand choices. It is not just online shoppers who frequent social media platforms to look for information about brands and their products. Even shoppers who still do their traditional shopping in brick and mortar shops go online to find reviews and other data about the products they are going to buy.
For brands who want to stand out from the crowd, they need to use their social media on a regular basis. It has been observed that brands that engage their target market on a daily basis get more sales compared to brands that only engage the consumers sparingly.
And brands should not just focus their social engagement strategies for this holiday season. They should continue to engage with their customers even after the holiday rush is over. This is one way to develop brand loyalty, which can be beneficial for the brand in the long run.