Smartphone buyers use Twitter for purchase advice

Selecting a smartphone is no easy decision. As the range of devices available continues to grow, the devices are a significant investment and the prospect of committing up to two years to any of the myriad service plans offered can cause even the hardiest buyer to second-guess their decision.

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Research method

During June and July 2014, the company surveyed 1,238 US online consumers aged 18-54 via a 10-minute questionnaire. All participants owned a smartphone or intended to purchase one in the next year. The firm then compared Twitter users to the average user of six top social media networks (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Vine and Tumblr). A user of any social network was defined as someone who logged in at least once a month.

The research showed that Twitter mobilised smartphone shoppers. Four in 10 users said they had taken action after seeing information from a smartphone or wireless service brand on Twitter, whether they followed the brand, visited its site or searched for it online.

As to kinds of content Twitter users like to see, most popular were deals and promotions (43%), information about service coverage and outage issues (33%), funny or light-hearted content (31%), tips (31%) and new device launches (27%).

Consumers eager to engage

Furthermore, the research indicated that users are eager to engage with smartphone brands, as they crave the latest information. Smartphone users are 38% more likely than the average social network users to learn about a new phone provider or wireless service carrier, and once they are aware of a brand, they are 86% more likely to stay up to date with the brand's news and promotions.

Interaction is also important to users - 17% have conversed with a smartphone or wireless provider brand via Twitter, compared to only 7% on the average social networks. Most users (63%) who received a response from a telecom brand said it made them feel more positive towards the brand.

Another finding was that Twitter influences smartphone shoppers throughout the purchase process, from awareness to advocacy, playing an important role at every step of the purchase process.

Tips for retailers/business

• Smartphone users like to see promotions, deals, coverage and outage issues - reflect these interests in your tweets, and tweet regularly about them
• Find positive ways to engage and reward users regularly
• Use Twitter to forge deeper connections with customers - Twitter users are 83% more likely to interact with a smartphone or wireless provider brand than the average social media user
• If spreading the word about your brand is the goal, Twitter is a good place to start. Twitter users are 75% more likely to become aware of a new phone provider or wireless service carrier than the average social network user
• Craft tweets that appeal to users at every stage of the purchase cycle, and don't underestimate the power of a retweet or recommendation.