How retailers can reach Twitter users

Twitter is the perfect place for retailers to engage in conversation with potential customers.

But from a consumer perspective, Twitter is also a key tool for users looking to research products, follow brands, and seek out promotions.

Our research* shows more than 70% of Twitter users are interested in retail and have bought online or instore in the past week.

This post will take an in-depth look at how this retail audience** uses and interacts with brands on Twitter.

See some of the research in our infographic below.

Who is Twitter's retail audience

Twitter users who are interested in retail are likely to be regular users of the platform. 

Around 66% log in on a daily basis with the largest proportion active during the 6pm-9pm time. 

The research shows Twitter is crucial for retail brands that are looking to communicate directly with their customer base. 

This is whether you are creating a meaningful dialogues or distributing helpful brand messages like this Video Card from @Sainsburys.

Retail-focused consumers use Twitter in a wide variety of ways. 24% of the retail group use it to search for deals. 

Separately, 24% use Twitter to stay up-to-date with the latest products, while 22% use it to contact the store. 

Consumers following brands

Crucially, around 76% of Twitter users already follow brands, with retailers making up around 30% of them. 

Many of these users want more messages from the brands they follow. 

For example, 25% would like to see more offers. At the same time, 46% want to tweet interesting content.

Into and through the sales funnel

Sales are the most important numbers at the end of the day. Here Twitter can help move your target customer closer to a conversion. 

46% of the retail audience have directly linked to a brand asset via Twitter. While 45% have engaged in further research after viewing something in relation to retail. 

Possibly the most important figure comes last. 50% of them have signaled purchase intent either online, visiting a physical store or a price comparison site. 

Here are some great examples of brands engaging Twitter’s Retail Audience by using a mixture of Polls, Video Website Cards, and competitions. 

*Source: Kantar TNS 2017 Base Total Monthly Twitter Users 1609 (sponsored by Twitter) 

**Retail audience = Twitter users who bought items from shopping retailers/grocery retailers online or in-store in the past week/month or intend to do in the next one week/month