By Derek Eccleston

The study shows that, whilst Topshop remain at the top of the Facebook leagues, ASOS have dominated the social scene in 2011, adding nearly half a million followers to their Facebook account in just six months and now top the Twitter tables after attracting more new users than any other retailer. A variety of rich and interactive Facebook features have kept users interested and intrigued, whilst their down-to-earth Twitter personality has encouraged users to get involved and participate in the business.

After being the first to introduce a Facebook store earlier in the year, ASOS’s social media campaign has gone from strength to strength. ASOS integrate campaigns across all social touch points, including their own website, managing to maintain customer relationships, broadcast products and promote the brand to a larger online audience.

Unsurprisingly, those retailers who have already created an established following on both sites are those that continue to dominate both the Facebook and Twitter league tables. Brand of the year, John Lewis has seen some of the biggest growth to their social media accounts over the past six months, cleverly integrating successful marketing campaigns into pages using bespoke search features, competitions and video’s.

2011 has been a huge year for social media. Our benchmark shows that a staggering 2.6 million new followers have joined the Top 20 Facebook pages in just the last 6 months, whilst an additional 400,000 Twitter users are now actively following top retail accounts. As social networks become more commercially friendly, especially with the introduction of Twitter and Google+ brand pages, it is important for brands to take advantage of the opportunities sites like these are offering them in terms of increasing their customer base and strengthening relationships. However, with changes often comes a shift in consumer behaviour. As social media trends continue to evolve, it is important that brands re-visit their strategies and make the necessary changes to ensure that users remain interested and engagement levels remain high.

The eDigitalResearch study has also documented the rise of fCommece over the past twelve months. Six out of the Top 20 are now running a Facebook store, whilst all but three retailers in the league tables are actively using the site to sell directly to users in one way or another, an increase of 25% in just six months.

The Social Media Benchmark has been running now for 18 months, documenting major developments in the social media sphere, including the recent introduction of Google+ and Twitter Brand pages. Interestingly, the results also found that eight of the Top 20 Facebook retailers are already using Google’s latest venture into social media as another way to reach a larger online audience.

To download a copy of the social media benchmark, including the full league tables and best practice, please complete the following short registration survey: https://ecustomeropinions.com/survey/survey.php?sid=102912446. Alternatively, for access to all of our benchmark studies, please sign up or log into the benchmark area of the website: www.edigitialresearch.com/benchmarking.

Methodology

The retail social media study was undertaken by eDigitalReserarch during the week commencing 28th November 2011, and took into account company verified social media accounts and pages. The research assessed the top 100 UK retail sites, including fashion, electrical and grocery websites, according to recent revenues as provided by Retail Week’s Knowledge Bank. The study looked predominately at Twitter followers, YouTube channels and views, and members of Facebook pages and groups.

About the author and eDigitalResearch

Derek Eccleston is Head of Research at eDigitalResearch, a research specialist with expertise in online business. When you have to make critical business decisions – we can give you the precise multichannel insight and informed direction you need. Surveys, panels and communities combine to provide holistic insight which gives clients the confidence and evidence to make crucial decisions on product range, marketing, customer service, supply chain and even basic positioning. For more information please visit www.edigitalresearch.com or email info@edigitalresearch.com.