Last October something happened that caught one of the world’s largest retailers by surprise.

Last October something happened that caught one of the world’s largest retailers by surprise.

Gap revealed it was launching a new logo, which would help its transition to “modern, sexy, cool”.

The problem was that Gap shoppers didn’t want the modern, sexy logo and were quite happy with the existing one. For all the talk about shoppers constantly changing, the evidence suggests they remain a pretty conservative bunch.

Within a week of announcing a change to its logo, Gap was forced to make an embarrassing u-turn. What it had discovered, and others most certainly will in the future, is that social media was not just about poking strangers.

It now enabled individual voices of protest to gravitate together online to, in a matter of hours, form powerful consumer action groups. Licking its wounds, Gap conceded it would consult with the online community in similar decisions in the future.

The allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World created a whole new social media backlash – part of which was mobilised against companies, including retailers, advertising in the paper.

What is clear is some retailers have seemed unsure how to react. While some quickly announced their intention to postpone their advertising while the allegations were investigated, others seemed to have been caught unawares, often releasing unclear and sometimes contradictory messages.

The speed at which the debate mutated and gained momentum online was no doubt one contributory factor. Companies no longer have days to digest the news and come up with a suitable response – now it is demanded in hours.

One message is clear: consumer voices, through social media, are increasingly going to have to be heard on a whole host of issues. Whether it’s a change in logo, questions over their ethical and environmental stance, or even what products they sell, the simple fact is that many retailers (particularly the larger ones in the public eye) are going to have to come up with ways of not just engaging with, but also listening to, their consumers online.