Which Retail Brands Top the Facebook Charts? Expion Social Report Reveals Winners, Losers and Big Opportunities

RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Expion today announced the results of its first-ever, in-depth F.A.V.E.¹ 50 Social Retail Report, uncovering the first half of 2013 (H1 2013) as the slowest growth period for retailers on Facebook since 2011, marked by a decline in fan engagement and volume despite an increase in the number of brand posts published.  The report analyzed the top 50 retail brands² performance in H1 2013, identifying two brands, Tiffany & Co. and Victoria's Secret, as leaders in Facebook engagement across the retail industry.

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"Expion analyzed more than 16,000 posts from retailers in the first half of this year to take a deep look into which brands, and which content, are leading on Facebook today," said Peter Heffring, CEO of Expion.  "Key findings showcase that compelling content is still king, and brands that organically are tied to style and pop culture, like luxury brands, tend to benefit from the strongest engagement with their fans."

The report, which analyzed more than 16,000 Facebook posts and their subsequent performance, unearths key social trends in the retail industry, as well as winners and losers across brands, posts and post types in terms of both engagement and volume. Walmart, Victoria's Secret and Tiffany & Co. were the big winners.

• 2013 is Slow Going: In H1 2013, the retail industry had its slowest growth period since 2011, with an actual decline in engagement and volume, despite an increase in the number of posts that were published.
• Quality versus Quantity with Content Strategies: The report shows that brands publishing fewer highly effective posts are creating nearly as much volume as brands relying on a quantity-driven approach. We expect to see a greater dichotomy between these two strategies, and as Facebook becomes more saturated, the quality-driven approach should overtake the quantity-driven approach.
• Growth Regression: While there was an even split across the 50 retailers in social volume growth – 25 saw positive growth and 25 saw a decline – eight of the top 10 brands experienced a decline, showing that the top retailers took a step backward during H1 2013. 
• Video Did Not Kill the Image Star…Yet: Despite video popularity across social media platforms like Vine and Instagram, posts with images still dominated Facebook. Images represented 80 percent of posts while video posts accounted for a meager 3 percent.
• It's a Luxe Life for Retail Fans: When looking at industry sectors, luxury brands were the highest performing in terms of total fan engagement, driven by captivating product images, often tied to pop culture.  Retail sectors such as drug stores, supermarkets and small-format value, which depend on mass appeal, fell to the bottom of the list.

To read the full FAVE 50: Social Retail Report, please visit: http://www.expion.com/retail-index-data-report/

About Expion
Expion alleviates top pain points for brand marketers by providing a proven way to understand, manage, control and grow a brand's social media presence – at both a local and global level.  Leading brands use Expion for their social media management, including AMC, Applebee's, Coca-Cola, H&R Block, Hilton, Home Depot, Kraft, Mattel and Mondelez International. With unmatched brand and competitive insights, and total control across Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and more, Expion ensures strong social marketing performance. For more information, please visit www.expion.com.

Contact:
Casey Ibbetson
Zeno Group for Expion
(310) 566-2282
[email protected]

¹ Fan Actions, Volume, Engagement
² Interbrand Best Retail Brands 2013 Report, Most Valuable U.S. Retail Brands 2013

SOURCE Expion