How can marketers go beyond engagements and ensure social media fans go on to make a purchase? This case study looks at 5 companies that used Twitter to convert consumers.
What ultimately motivates retail shoppers to buy? Purchase motivation varies by retail category.
For example, when in the purchase intent mindset, consumer electronics shoppers talked most about advertisements; apparel shoppers Tweeted most about price; and grocery/pharmacy shoppers buzzed most about recommendations.
To help apply this data to a marketing strategy, it is prudent to identify the “purchase funnel hot spot” and “top sales driver” for each retail category.
The “hot spot” is the area of the purchase funnel where a high proportion of Twitter conversation happens relative to other retail categories.
For example, 25% of the Twitter conversation around big box retail was related to brand or product evaluation — this was higher than for any other retail category.
The “top sales driver” explains what is driving the most purchase-related conversation in each category. For big box, this was customer service. These insights reveal areas of opportunity for brands in each retail category to help deliver consumers the right content at the right time.
View 5 examples of how the 'hot spot' and 'top sales driver' were used to strong effect below:
1. Big box retail
Purchase funnel hot spot: Evaluation
Top sales driver: Customer service
Recommendation: To maintain or grow your market share, make sure your customer support is competitive. In the Tweet below, @WalmartHub links to a heartwarming story about an employee who goes above and beyond for her customers.
Check out the unique way pharmacy associate Callie Day helps people live better: http://t.co/VmAp2Ozto4
— Walmart (@WalmartHub) January 5, 20152. Consumer electronics
Purchase funnel hot spot: Post-purchase chatter
Top sales driver: Advertisements
Recommendation: Create incentives for people to Tweet about their purchases and release buzz-worthy advertisements. Here, @hhgregg Tweeted a Gallery Card of four Valentine’s Day e-cards featuring their products. Users who Retweeted one of the images earned a chance to win a $100 gift card.
Tweet your fave Valentine's Day eCard using #loveHHG to win a $100 hhgregg gift card! http://t.co/IOpO74bGEx pic.twitter.com/irAU54WoL3
— hhgregg (@hhgregg) February 12, 20153. Apparel
Purchase funnel hot spot: Purchase intent
Top sales driver: Price
Recommendation: Use engaging Promoted Tweets with images to promote deals and sales and drive traffic to your online store. In this instance, @Gap encourages users to visit its website by offering them a 40% discount.
Refresh your closet with 40% off your purchase on http://t.co/09gUyCS0ct & in stores. http://t.co/O6Dts5d9IT pic.twitter.com/6n7TH1m7Hw
— Gap (@Gap) February 16, 20154. Home improvement
Purchase funnel hot spot: Conversion
Top sales driver: Seeking suggestions
Recommendation: Use visually engaging Tweet formats to distribute branded home improvement how-tos, and include links to product pages where users can easily convert to purchase within a click or two. Here, @HomeDepot uses an image to alert its audience to a new trend, and directs them to a page where they can buy the materials necessary to pull it off.
#StyleTrend: Faux bois tile gives you the look of reclaimed wood, plus durability! Shop now: http://t.co/kYAVCGPSQO pic.twitter.com/3OeZFpNgDl
— The Home Depot (@HomeDepot) February 18, 20155. Grocery/pharmacy
Purchase funnel hot spot: Interest/consideration
Top sales driver: Recommendations
Recommendation: Share product recommendations that align with trends and meet the needs of your customers. Knowing that many people would be interested in having a special dinner on Valentine’s Day, @Safeway used this Tweet to share an idea for a romantic meal.
Who needs to dine out? This #filet is definitely worth staying home for on #ValentinesDay. http://t.co/eDNt1qqSgX pic.twitter.com/Pr2AQgRDPG
— Safeway (@Safeway) February 10, 2015