Twitter reveals how brand conversation powers shopping in #LetsTalkShop report

93% of Indian shoppers recall brand conversations online before making a purchase.

Shopping is a hot topic in the social space, and especially so during the festive season in India. While shoppers turn to services like Twitter to discuss their big splurging plans, do these conversations about brands and products actually impact sales? To find out and help marketers engage the festive shopper more effectively, Twitter partnered with Publicis to study 2400 consumers in India on leading social platforms. The study unveils the sentiment that is driving conversations and shopping decisions today, while also throwing light on content consumption patterns and most importantly, expectations from brands both in terms of customer service and content.

Diwali conversations on Twitter also open up doorways for Indian brands to connect and engage with the leaned-in shoppers who are looking to spend during the festivities. A testimony to this: the service witnessed more than 3.1 million Tweets about Diwali in the festive week (30th October 2021 to 6th November 2021).

Kanika Mittal, country lead - Large client solutions, Twitter India, says, "Shopping has always been a social experience and the festive season is one of the busiest times of year on Twitter. Today, online brand conversation has become a trusted, everyday part of the shopping process. Our data reveals that 97% of people surveyed seek comments and opinions from others on the service, with reviews and recommendations dominating 70% of shopping conversations. Trust, too, plays a major role. 9 in 10 consumers are more likely to consider a purchase after seeing someone else’s opinion about a brand/product. In fact, for the majority of shoppers, these spontaneous conversations are as — if not more — impactful on purchase decisions as traditional reviews. So yes, talk matters."

Reviews and recommendations on Twitter take a front-seat during festive shopping

Connecting with other shoppers to share experiences and make decisions based on these exchanges form a significant part of today’s tech-savvy consumer’s purchase decisions. As a testament to this, the report indicates that 9 in 10 consumers are more likely to consider a purchase after seeing someone else’s opinion about a brand/product.

• Twitter has been one of the go-to services for consumers to help them in their purchase journey, as more than half (51%) of Indian online shoppers agree that ads or Tweets on Twitter help them discover new products or brands

• 55% state that reviews and comments on Twitter are more trustworthy than any other social media platform

Consumer excitement and buying inclination during Diwali

The study reveals that the buildup to the festivities is the most exciting for consumers as 50% of the Diwali conversation on Twitter takes place before the festival, whereas 35% of the conversation happens on the day of the festival.

• 92% of festive conversations around Diwali are mostly positive or neutral in tonality, with 75% mentions of Diwali on Twitter being linked to ‘joy’

• As brands increasingly tap into the power of click ‘play’ to engage with their audiences, the report notes that 64% of people on Twitter enjoy watching video ads to see what brands have to offer

• 4 in 10 shoppers are on the lookout for deals and promotional offers from brands around Diwali

Brand conversations: A beaming opportunity for businesses

Brand conversation is increasingly becoming influential at every stage of the purchase journey and has the power to influence shopping decisions. As a matter of fact, 93% of Indian shoppers recall brand conversations online before making a purchase.

• In fact, shoppers on Twitter consider 4 out of 5 (80%) of the brand conversation as ‘trustworthy’

• 88% of brand conversations made people feel differently about the brand

• Amongst consumers that made a purchase, 62% said that their experience with brand conversation made them much more likely to consider the purchase

Evidently, consumers are increasingly seeking meaningful dialogue with brands. This festive season, engaging audiences beyond ‘clicks’ and moving towards ‘conversations’ is the route that brands must take to drive consideration and purchase behaviour. To know more about Twitter’s findings and how you can utilise the service to engage with your customers, read the full report here.