With the holiday shopping season expected to be tough, stores are looking for new ways to lure shoppers away from rival. This year, Twitter (TWTR) has become the new battleground for retail competition.
Last year, Walmart (WMT) sent tweets to the customers of other retailers — like Best Buy (BBY) — who complained about shopping problems, promoting its own services and perks. Industry analysts say that the rough-and-tumble world of social media is fair game for retailers vying for attention, AdWeek notes.
Twitter gives retailers a chance to watch real time conversations among consumers, detecting potential problems, demand trends and opportunities. Experts expect retailers’ use of the messaging service to increase.
Even technology giants are getting in on the act. When Apple (AAPL) launched its new iPad Air, rivals Microsoft (MSFT) and Samsung used software to target Twitter-based advertising to people considering the new tablet.
Of course, using social media can also present its own problems. Retailers who use Twitter to snag customers from rivals had better be able to deliver on promises made in their tweets, lest angry customers call them out online.
Twitter went public last week, with its stock rising quickly above its original price range. Shares of Twitter climbed almost 1% in Tuesday pre-market trading.
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