[Infographic] 72% shoppers think that Twitter helps discover great Diwali buys

Festive vibes have already made a threshold in the social forum and the buzz is elevating with Diwali nearing. With social media already  crackling, pre-festive shopping by netizens has begun in full form! As reports suggest, Twitter seems to be dominating the shopping action in the social verse this year.

New research conducted by Twitter and TNS projected that 92% of people on Twitter in India expect to shop for Diwali this year, with 85% planning to shop online.

Taranjeet Singh, Business Head, Twitter India commented, “Twitter is the live connection to culture and it is our endeavour to be the one stop destination for Indians to buy, gift, share or express themselves for Diwali this year. This study shows Twitter’s role in shaping consumer purchase decisions for this festive season to help brands connect with millions of Indians through live conversations and videos on social media. Brands are using this Diwali opportunity to build mutually beneficial and meaningful relationships with people across the country and we’re one of the primary platforms where decisions related to festive shopping take place.”

The key highlights of the study surfaced that 72% of Diwali shoppers think that Twitter helps them to discover great Diwali buys. While, 52% of people on Twitter would follow a brand for Diwali deals and discounts, 46% started planning purchases almost a month before. Twitter users are also three times likely to expect Diwali related videos compared to non-Twitter users.

The study further delves into Diwali shoppers’ world to help marketers gain a better understanding of their shopping preferences, content consumption patterns, activity engagement, and most importantly, expectations from brands both in terms of online customer service and content.

The research found that an increasing number of Indians are turning to digital platforms to garner information and insights for making their purchase decisions. Twitter provides a huge opportunity for brands to interact with consumers on the platform.

93% have interacted with brands on Twitter before, and 52% would follow a brand for Diwali deals and discounts. Whereas, 81% of Diwali shoppers believe that Twitter helps them to keep in touch with Diwali trends and 46% of Diwali shoppers would use Twitter to explore brands and products for their Diwali shopping.

The online video consumption trend on Twitter is at an all time high during Diwali as people are 3 times more likely to view Diwali festive videos. 1.5 times Twitter consumers are more likely to expect product videos. This can be attributed to an increase in smartphone adoption that continues to drive mobile video consumption.

Diwali shoppers also want available, agile and authentic customer services with 68% of people expecting brands to be available 24/7 with an always-on approach. 50% expecting service providers to be able to resolve conflicts quickly.

Through this study, marketers who are looking to leverage the platform for their campaigns were also advised, wherein they are expected to understand the content needs for their audience by informing them better about the products and loyalty.

Deciphering further, 61% expect brands to share recommendations for the right product, 54% expect to be awarded for their loyalty with exclusive offers, 56% expect to receive attractive images of the latest products while 53% expect useful articles and content about products, 52% expect exclusive promotions, deals or discounts for Twitter followers and 52% expect information about latest products.

For a better customer service 68% expect brands to be available to solve their problems 24/7, while 50% expect brands to be able to resolve conflicts quickly.

3X Twitter consumers are more likely to expect Diwali festive videos, 1.5x users are more likely to expect product videos and 42% people are more likely to expect to play video on Twitter.

The Twitter and TNS research surveying 1,278 respondents was conducted in India. The survey was conducted with both Twitter and those who don’t use Twitter, aged 16 years and above.