Mr Porter has topped the list of most socially engaged multi-brand premium fashion retailers, followed closely by Kurt Geiger and Matches, according to new research.
Retail marketing agency Leapfrogg analysed 25 fashion and footwear brands‘ social activity across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, and also looked at content quality.
Engagement levels across key social channels influencing purchases were scored using analytics tools and qualitative testing. Retailers received 0 to 5 for each platform, with 5 being the highest.
Mr Porter scored 17 out of a possible 25. Its clear content strategy, including an online magazine run by journalists and fashion editors, meant customers were engaging heavily with the brand, particularly on Twitter and Instagram.
The research found that Kurt Geiger, ranked number two with 15.5 out of 25 had a distinctive visual style flowing across all social channels, focusing on Instagram and Pinterest. A blog written by a fictional character modelled on Kurt Geiger‘s core customer highlighted a defined target audience.
Matches took third place. Scoring 15, the retailer‘s Pinterest engagement rate was the highest of all brands monitored, although it is yet to use shoppable ‘Rich Pins‘. Leapfrogg‘s analysis showed that while investment in quality editorial around fashion trends allowed Matches to broadcast good content, it could do more to engage its social audience by monitoring what‘s being shared and building intelligence into content planning for a more strategic approach.
SecretSales tied with Matches at number three, but research indicated the brand had a relatively low engagement rate despite the quantity of content produced.
“Retailers that scored highly know their customer, but there is still work to do and the majority of premium fashion brands don‘t have a defined social strategy,” said Rosie Freshwater, MD of Leapfrogg. “Online brands need to invest in customer insight in order to understand their audience. Having a presence on social platforms isn‘t enough – captivating shoppers by delivering consistent, quality content and tailoring it to popular channels will lead to higher engagement and sales.”
Although a handful of retailers stood out, research showed most weren‘t delivering relevant, consistent content and engaging socially with customers.
Leapfrogg‘s engagement rate scorecard covered user actions such as likes, comments and shares, which were then divided by the number of fans to ensure brands with different sized audiences could be compared, producing unbiased results.
