Events

Our first #ShoppingIsHappening event

Thursday, 11 October 2018

Twitter held an event in Dubai titled #ShoppingIsHappening to discuss how brands can tap into the upcoming November sales, be at the heart of the shopping conversation on Twitter, and deliver strong business results. Attended by key retail brands and agencies, the objective of the event was to inform advertisers on how they can drive relevance, consideration and own the moment on Twitter when it comes to this season.

The event started with a session that shared insights around the discovery and information-seeking mindset of Twitter’s audience. Such insights provide clarity on the fact that consumers are in different mindsets on different platforms, and are most valuable on Twitter, when they’re most receptive. We also revealed that this year, Tweets in MENA around shopping increased to almost 6 million so far.

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We shared new insights about Saudi consumers’ shopping habits on Twitter around the November sales. The survey revealed that 1 in 5 Twitter users are ‘heavy’ online shoppers, 6 in 10 have both online and offline shopping plans specifically for November, with the number increasing to 8 in 10 for heavy shoppers.

 

In addition, 21% of Saudi consumers on Twitter would be repeat November online shoppers; those who shopped online last November and intend to this November as well. 38% however would be new November online shoppers; indicating that those who did not shop online last November intend to this year, which represents a major opportunity for brands to increase their active base of customers, through Twitter.

 

Respondents stated that fashion items (such as accessories, jewelry, fragrances) and consumer electronics (such as TVs, mobile phones, laptops) are the most commonly purchased products, ranked at 65% and 45% respectively. We also learnt that offers during November are likely to trigger potential incremental sales; given that consumers who stated they’d buy any of the product categories only if on sale increased by 16%, 12%, 10% and 7% for consumer electronics, home appliances, home furniture and fashion items respectively.

Our findings revealed that high interest is shown in online grocery shopping. 13% of Saudi consumers on Twitter currently do their grocery shopping online and 43% show a high interest in doing so. Twitter also plays a key role in consumers’ shopping decisions, from the discovery of products and offers to taking action offline:

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Twitter is one of the first places I go to research products

37% of respondents

If I saw a Tweet for a sale at a nearby retailer I would go

44% of respondents

We also learnt that in Saudi Arabia, Twitter daily active users are 22% more likely to influence the purchase decisions of friends and family members, compared to non users (source: Global Web Index). For brands, it means that reaching Twitter consumers can not only drive direct sales, but also incremental sales through the influence they have in their community.

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Two industry experts; Stanislas Brunais @stanislasbrunai Head of Digital Marketing, Al Tayer Group and Scott Hicks @sensic Co-Founder CMO, Soopamarket, presented sessions around fashion and groceries in relation to the upcoming shopping season.

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The event concluded with a session around how brands can activate during the November sales. From raising awareness by running pre-roll video ads ahead of relevant publisher content, to reaching the masses through one of Twitter’s multiple ad formats such as Promoted Trends, and retargeting consumers who were exposed to the branding to drive visits and sales with always-on Direct Response ad formats, advertisers can drive relevance, consideration and own the moment on Twitter during this season.

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