Retailer Daily

Retailers Get Personal via Twitter - Update

The retail industry is increasingly turning to social networking sites as a new means of connecting with customers. While Twitter [reg. req’d.], which was founded in 2006 and does not release membership numbers, is newer and presumably smaller than more established sites such as Facebook [reg. req’d.], retailers appear to be taking advantage of its potential to instantly alert customers of special offers and deals, as well as to interact with individual customers on a personalized level.

As opposed to Facebook, which allows users (including companies) to build fairly detailed profiles including photos and text information, Twitter primarily allows users to communicate via short messages called “tweets.” Tweets cannot exceed 140 characters and can be accessed via mobile devices such as cell phones. Facebook users can also post messages with mobile access, but Tweeter’s design is more geared toward direct communication.

Three retailers were selected to have their Twitter pages briefly reviewed. Today, we are looking at the Twitter pages of consumer electronics retailer Best Buy, coffee retailer Starbucks, and fast food retailer Taco Bell. One common thread running through all three retailers’ Twitter strategies is the deployment of multiple Twitter pages aimed at specific customer segments and interests. In the case of Taco Bell, a page dedicated to informing customers of where to receive free tacos has more members than its main page. Retailers are clearly starting to take advantage of the capability social networking offers for customer segmentation and interaction on a previously unobtainable basis.

Best Buy

Best Buy, with 8,432 followers as of September 3, 2009, promotes its primary Twitter page as “Best Buy employees tweeting for and about Best Buy as we see it.” The page features employee tweets mentioning special sales and offers, providing links to positive media coverage of Best Buy, and invitations for customers to participate in online special events such as “tweetups” (Twitter users with a common interest gathering online to communicate via tweets) and fantasy football contests.

Best Buy also uses its Twitter page to promote “Twelpforce,” a team of customer service associates which looks for and answers consumer posts with questions about consumer electronics goods. In an effort to build a positive image and recruit new customers, Twelpforce members will answer questions of non-customers as well as established customers.

The Best Buy page has a friendly, informal feel and is geared more toward providing information than directly driving revenue. Best Buy does run an Outlet Center page strictly devoted to driving traffic to its e-commerce site, as well as a product-oriented page for Canadian customers and a page for developers seeking to modify consumer electronics goods purchased at Best Buy.

Starbucks

Starbucks, with 286,782 followers as of September 3, 2009, has an extremely large Twitter following. Starbucks also takes a personalized, low-key approach with its page, presenting it as “Freshly brewed tweets from Brad at Starbucks in Seattle, WA.” Brad offers regular tweets promoting Starbucks coffee and baked goods, as well as CDs from its music collection. In addition, the page is highly interactive and Brad (who may be a real person or simply a generic name for whichever marketing associate is running the Twitter page) frequently replies to questions and comments from individual customers. There are some links off the Twitter page that will allow customers to perform activities such as registering their Starbucks card or viewing photos of in-store musical performances.

Starbucks offers a number of Twitter pages aimed at specific countries, as well as a Spanish-language page. In addition, Starbucks specialty pages include MyStarbucksIdea, which features “Anali” receiving and replying to customer ideas, questions and comments, Starbucks V2V, a page dedicated to volunteer opportunities that has been on hold since May 2009, and Starbucks Geek, an automated bot that provides Starbucks news updates.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell’s most popular Twitter page is TacoBellTruck, which gives current information on where to find the Taco Bell truck that drives across the country handing out free tacos. TacoBellTruck, with 5,466 followers as of September 3, 2009, accepts and replies to customer comments and questions. The official Taco Bell page, with 2,731 followers as of September 3, is more commercially focused than the main pages of Best Buy or Starbucks. It features numerous links back to the Taco Bell site enabling customers to enter contests, download coupons and store locator tools, and view promotions.

Like Starbucks, Taco Bell offers numerous pages aimed at specific geographic areas. Taco Bell also has pages dedicated to special interests such as providing positive reinforcement for teens, as well as a page for prospective management job-seekers.

Forrester Research estimates there are approximately 5 million Twitter users. A recent Harris Interactive study indicates 5% of U.S. adults have a Twitter account. Facebook reports 200 million worldwide users.