Blogs: Social Setting / Social Media

Twitter Releases Study on How Brand Conversation Powers Shopping

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When you think about shopping on social media, Twitter might not be the first platform that comes to mind—Instagram and TikTok seem more likely to draw shoppers—but that hasn’t stopped Twitter from powering full steam ahead with its e-commerce aspirations.

Most recently, the blue bird released a study in partnership with Publicis, a French advertising and public relations company, to explore how the discussion of brands on social media (not just Twitter) affects sales.

The study, #LetsTalkShop, studied 9,600 consumers across six leading social platforms—Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit—throughout the U.S., U.K., India, and Mexico. Below are some of the study’s most interesting findings.

According to the study, more than 92% of people surveyed actively seek out comments about brands, products, or services on social. Moreover, 68% said their impression of a brand changed as a result of experiencing brand conversation.

While traditional product reviews (such as product purchase pages featuring audience ratings) remain a vital component of sales—44% of those surveyed said traditional product reviews have the most effect—56% of shoppers surveyed consider social brand conversation more or just as effective (35% and 21%, respectively).

The study shows that such conversations are most effective early in the purchase journey; brands wanting consideration have the best chance at winning a sale before the buyer has settled on options to consider. However, numbers also point to opportunities at every stage of the purchase journey: 71% of respondents said brand conversations are most influential before they even set out to buy anything; 55% said early in the purchase journey; 51% said middle; 52% said late; and even 43% said after—which means brands engaging in conversation on social platforms have a good chance at catching consumers on every level.

Yet shoppers seem to have pretty short-term memories: The data show that while the influence of a brand conversation is immediate, its effect wanes fairly quickly—after the first week—so staying relevant is as important as getting to that point.

The study suggests brands adapt an “always-on” strategy, which reminds brands that their work is never really done on social media.

Perhaps somewhat surprising, the study found that positive talk is far more memorable than negative—86% found very positive brand conversations to be remembered, while only 49% agreed when it came to very negative conversations.

“Social brand conversation has quickly become an established part of the shopping experience, giving brands the opportunity to shift decisions within the purchase journey,” said Rose Ahn, VP of global partnerships for Publicis Media, in a statement on the study.

The study goes into further detail on how brand conversations specifically on Twitter drive more people to buy, with tips on how to cultivate goodwill among current and potential customers on the app. The study in its entirety can be found here.

Photo via Twitter

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By: Brittany Siminitz

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