Social networks are becoming an increasingly popular tool for shoppers wanting to communicate with retailers,Retail Week has found.

More customers use social sites to contact retailers

According to an ICM online poll, 8% of people have used Twitter or Facebook to contact a retailer to comment on their products or services, or to complain.

ICM head of retail Nathan Bartlett said social networks were “becoming a normal way of communicating with retailers” and expected their popularity to increase.

He added: “Retailers need to get it right. They can’t give lip service to this social media arena. It’s as important as their website or stores.”

The research also found that 32% of people expect to get a response within one day.