Tweets in Action study: How Tweets influence brand consideration and purchase intent by UK consumers

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

When consumers are in the market to buy a new video game, camera or pair of headphones, they’ll often go online to research and find deals. But did you know Tweets are playing an increasingly influential role throughout the process? We partnered with Compete (@compete) on the “Tweets in Action: Mobile/Tech” study and discovered that exposure to Tweets from consumer electronics brands can have a significant effect on brand consideration and purchase behavior.

Study background & methodology

The study analyzed more than 3,000 users and their site visitation behavior in the United Kingdom over the Christmas shopping season. @Compete looked at three different groups of users. The first group consisted of those users who were exposed to at least one Tweet by a consumer electronics brand. The two remaining groups of users were control groups: one consisted of Twitter visitors who were not exposed to consumer electronics brand Tweets, and the other represented the average Internet user.

Three key findings

1. Shoppers exposed to brand Tweets are more likely to visit brand sites.

When consumers are in the market to purchase consumer electronics, exposure to Tweets from brands influence their likelihood to visit brand websites. In the study, in-market shoppers exposed to consumer electronics brand Tweets were 30% more likely to visit brand sites than the average Internet user.

Tweets in Action study: How Tweets influence brand consideration and purchase intent by UK consumers

Takeaway for advertisers: Connect with target consumers on Twitter with interest targeting by choosing from nearly 30 tech-related interest categories or target relevant @usernames. Consumer electronics brands can also target Promoted Tweets in timelines to existing followers and Twitter users like your followers. Create relevant keyword lists for Promoted Tweets in search and get in front of shoppers searching for your products in real time.

2. Shoppers exposed to brand Tweets are more likely to consider these brands/products.

Among Twitter users who were exposed to consumer electronics brand Tweets, 38% of them searched for information on these brands or products online – a 26% lift over average Internet users.

Tweets in Action study: How Tweets influence brand consideration and purchase intent by UK consumers

Takeaway for advertisers: Provide product-relevant information or page links in Tweets to facilitate the search process for Twitter users.

3. Shoppers exposed to brand Tweets are more likely to purchase.

Around 31% of consumer technology shoppers exposed to brand Tweets visited product pages followed by “add to cart” action. This was 64% higher than the proportion of average Internet users who visited product/brand sites and went on to add something to their shopping carts on-site (19%).

Tweets in Action study: How Tweets influence brand consideration and purchase intent by UK consumers

Takeaway for advertisers: Create Tweets that entice in-market consumers to visit your site. Tweet about new and popular products. Share deals and sale information in real time. Make the path to purchase simple and include links to your online shop in your Tweets.

Check out the !@LG case study to find out how one electronics brand used Twitter to launch a new product in the UK. For more UK insights, news and tips, follow @TwitterAdsUK.

Posted by
Louise Chow (@lougirlie)
Analyst