Whether it be Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, Google+ or any others you care to mention, social media is an intrinsic part of how we often prefer to engage and interact.

Whether it be Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, Google+ or any others you care to mention, social media is an intrinsic part of how we often prefer to engage and interact.

Never before have we been able to communicate, publish, express ourselves in such an accessible manner.

Social media is part of the fabric of our lives: 72% of all internet users are now active on social media, there are now over 1.15 billion Facebook users, Twitter has over 550 million users and 47% of Americans say that Facebook is their number one influencer for purchases.

So if social media plays such a pivotal role not only in our daily lives but especially in our buying behaviour, how are retailers using it to engage with their customers and ultimately drive sales?

Currys and PC World owner Dixons and Ann Summers are two of the best known brands both on the high street and online and share one thing in common.

Both their chief executives – Seb James and Jacqueline Gold - are active on social media so it is no coincidence that engaging with their customers via social media is part of the DNA of their respective organisations.

Many forms of social are deployed but it is Twitter and Facebook which have the highest usage and profile.

The immediacy of Twitter is attractive to both retailers and the ability to build a community via Facebook is also key to each.

And it is this aspect which prevails, the means by which customers can feel more engaged with the brand and its products which of course in turn drives advocacy.

Being as responsive as possible to customer feedback is critical to both. And of course all the social activity is monitored in order to capture the conversations and, if necessary or appropriate, join in.

There is a fine line between assisting customers with product choice, use, setup etc and needlessly interfering in someone else’s conversation. Where do you draw the line?

Dixons’ head of corporate social media, Mark Webb, says: “On the one hand we want to support our customers and if we spot that they need assistance we will step in to provide this. On the other we don’t wish to be intrusive. We’re getting better and improving all the time”.

The social media function at Dixons sits firmly within the marketing team and is a central part of the business. It is widely recognised that peer reviews have a strong influence on buying decisions and recognising this, through Facebook, Dixons and Ann Summers encourage customer reviews and interaction and see them as an iportant trigger along the conversion path a customer often takes.

An interesting difference between the two brands lies in the way the workforce use social media.

Whereas Dixons will allow store managers to use social media if they wish, at Ann Summers it is actively encouraged.

Sophie Barton, Ann Summers’ PR and social media manager, says:  “Our store colleagues and party ambassadors do a fantastic job of promoting the brand across their own social media platforms and acting as brand advocates”

Different brands in different markets but both have one thing in common: social media is vital in building brand advocacy through a sense of community.

  • Andrew Busby is a former retailer and independent retail advisor