Social media and retail: where we are headed

People around the world use social media more for a multitude of reasons. They meet up with long-lost relatives or high school classmates, watch videos, read blogs, and most importantly for retailers, use SM to connect with brands they know and love. By the end of 2011, more than 63% of Internet users will use social networks. (148 million people) and the number will rise to 67% by 2013. (Source: emarketer.com) That’s a lot of people spending a lot of time on social media to do a lot of things.

And while some retailers are just starting to use SM for their business, the industry is moving full speed ahead. New sites are being created every day and the way consumers use social media continues to evolve. So the question is: where do we go from here and what’s next for social media?

Here we present 5 of the current trends emerging with social networks for 2012. Many of them will be perfect for retailers like you, as they seek to interact and share word of mouth experiences with customers in real time through a wide group of users. As you read them, don’t think about where you are with SM today, but more importantly, think about where your business could be if you integrated some of these tools in the next year.

Creation of consumer content-It’s about being in the flow. Yes, you need to have an engaging social media presence that inspires people to come back regularly. Now it will be critical to take it to the next level and get your brand evangelists and members of the social media community talking about your business in your posts.

Think of it as public relations and word of mouth marketing from your best customers. You’ll need to create programs that inspire them to share what you’re doing in their social media posts. Think of this as a kind of word-of-mouth referral, except you’re online and a lot more eyes will be on the message!

kennel rental-This will be another big trend for retailers. Niche location social networking site targets a user’s location and informs others about it. This has a big connotation for retailers who can then use services like foursquare or gowalla to run contests or make offers to customers who sign up when customers shop.

It’s like getting free publicity for your store – people sign up and get discounts etc, and then their friends see online that they’re buying from your store and may be intrigued to come in and get the same deal.
Ann Taylor, McDonalds, Starbucks, and Best Buy are just a few of the companies that have created programs for location-based services.

Group purchases-This trend continues to grow and will expand with more sites in 2012. Simply put, group buying is based on the premise that creating a sense of urgency around a purchase will encourage users to act quickly and share information. with friends in your circle to make sure the deal happens. where brands offer customers a deal and if enough people sign up, everyone gets the deal. It’s a great way to get a lot of publicity for your brand that you could never afford on your own. Group buying sites take a percentage of the sales generated by the deal, so there is some profit erosion (on this first deal, but not over the long-term life of the customer if you can get them to buy from you again). ).

The use of group shopping sites like Groupon or Living social or Daily Deals has become a hot topic for retailers because they are concerned that these sites are not attracting the right kind of customers that can be retained in the long term. I would suggest that the key to successful participation in group buying is how you structure the deal and how you prepare ahead of time to create a process to capture customer contact information and create marketing programs to talk to them after Groupon is over.

social games In 2012, more game apps will be integrated into social networking programs to further engage customers with brands in a fun way. Today, more than 56 million people play social media on a regular basis, and brands that connect with customers while using gaming platforms are poised to form a meaningful connection with them in the future.

mobile marketing- More than 50% of all cell phones will be smartphones by 2012. Consumers understand the time-saving benefits a smartphone can offer, and social media trends for 2012 demand more mobile marketing programs from brands to connect with customers where they are. Discount codes that arrive via phones, in-store product interactions, and QR codes that offer information, games, and other relevant services will further engage customers with brands and stores in 2012.

These aren’t the only key social media usage trends for 2012, but they are some of the biggest ones where retailers can see a direct connection with customers if they choose to use it. Whichever trend you think is right for your business, one thing is for sure. Social media is the way of the future for retailers to connect with customers. Just like creating a website was important 10 years ago and email marketing was a way to connect with customers 5 years ago, social media is a trend that is here to stay.

At its core, social media is a new way to connect with your store customers and if you plan to be in business in 10 years and have customers evangelizing your brand, you need to start integrating social media tools into your marketing plans today. . Personally, you don’t have to like or even use SM, but you do need to understand that effective marketing is about putting messages for your store where your customers are, and that your customers are using social media to connect with brands they love, and! We certainly want yours to be one of them!