Social media has raised the stakes of retail customer service: 81% of shoppers say social media has increased accountability for brands, and only 8% would stay silent if they saw inappropriate behavior from a brand, according to Sprout Social.
As many as 46% of consumers have used social to “call out” brands. Naturally, Millennials are leading the pack here — there’s a 43% greater likelihood that Millennials will call out a brand on social, compared to other generations.
Social media is Millennials’ first choice to voice their concerns: 59% said they’d use social media to address an issue with a brand, while 51% said they’d have an in-person discussion.
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Dishonesty And Bad Service Drive Complaints
Brands can mitigate these callouts and hold themselves accountable by understanding what actually prompts people to air their frustrations on social media. Topping the list is dishonesty, for which 60% of shoppers call retailers out. Following are:
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59%: Bad customer service;
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58%: Plain rudeness;
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45%: A bad product experience;
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35%: Overcharging; and
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32%: Unresponsiveness.
Most of these shoppers (70%) just want other customers to be aware of the issue, while 51% want to raise awareness among media outlets. More than half (54%) use social media to get a response from a business in the hope of a solution or an apology, while 38% are looking for monetary action from the brand, such as a credit or refund.
Despite the prevalence of social media callouts, most consumers won’t immediately judge the retailer or brand based on other consumers’ complaints. Up to 65% of shoppers will do more research before making a purchase — twice as many as the 32% of shoppers who will like or share the post. And while 26% will join the conversation and share their own experiences or options, only 17% of people simply take that callout at face value and won’t buy from the brand again.
Two scenarios typically win back consumers after they see a negative social post or brand review. Positive reviews (42%) are neck-and-neck with great responses from the business (44%) as effective remedies.
