SEA e-retailers spoken about, not to, on social media

More than 85 percent of social-media conversation regarding Asia-Pacific e-retailers do not include the brands’ handles, meaning the brands are being spoken about very often, but spoken to only rarely, according to Digimind’s Social Shopping in 2017 report.

Carried out by Digimind Social, the report examined 15 local and regional e-retailers in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, including the likes of Lazada, Zalora, Aliexpress and Berrybenka. Their social-media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube were also analysed.

Digimind found that an overwhelming majority of consumers—85 percent in Indonesia, 93 percent in Malaysia and 95 percent in Singapore—did not tag the e-retailer brand in their conversation online, whether positive or negative.

As such, the brands are likely missing out on key insights regarding their brand reputation if they are not actively monitoring social media and addressing any concerns voiced.

Stephen Dale, Digimind APAC general manager, said with more than 2.7 billion active social media users in Southeast Asia, it is crucial for e-retailers to listen to what is being said about their brand online as it can provide an “arsenal of insights that can be used to develop content strategies, improve customer service, build brand advocacy, and increase sales.” 

"When analysed in conjunction with other data such as web page visits and browsing behaviour, this can further inform marketing plans and Voice of the Customer programmes," he added.

The report also found that while Facebook was the most prominent social media platform for brands in terms of audience distribution, in all three markets consumers were most active in posting publicly about e-retailers on Twitter and Instagram.

“This means while Facebook is the ideal channel for brands to communicate with followers, Instagram and Twitter are key channels for community engagement,” the report said.