The Big Retailers Weren't Just Pushing Deals Black Friday Weekend: They Nudged Shoppers To Mug, Dish On Twitter

The big national chains weren’t just pushing bargains this Black Friday weekend. Retailers including TargetTGT +0.78%, Macy’s and the Gap GPS -0.51% wanted to get shoppers to do something, egging them on with myriad requests via Twitter – from calls for selfies to gentle pleas to peek into their shopping bags.

It’s a sign of the times. Retailers are feeling their way through the era of social shopping, where consumers mouth off on the stores they shop and the products they buy, and solicit feedback from “friends” on sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

In turn, retailers are increasingly inserting themselves into the digital conversation to up their cool quotient and engage their customer base in a dialogue – a tack some pundits deem crucial to staying relevant amid the rise of social networks.

At the same time, retailers are finding discreet ways to pump their audience for some free market research.

Here’s a look at a handful of stores’ Twitter asks over the Black Friday weekend.

Selfie Requests

Target and Macy’s appealed to shoppers’ narcissism by asking them to Tweet selfies.

Hipster discounter Target employed the shorthand of social hipsters, dangling the possibility of a shopper selfie going viral (woo hoo!)

“Good deals are worth a selfie (or two.) Hashtag your ‪#TargetHaul and let the regrams begin…” Target Tweeted.

Meanwhile, Macy’s selfie request seemed designed to summon the excitement of a live sporting event, and what shopper wouldn’t want to get their mug out there to prove that they were part of the action?

“‪#Macys ‪#BlackFriday is still going strong! Got your game face on? Tweet a selfie now.”

Over the Black Friday weekend, Target was also looking to extend the digital social buzz to the brick-and-mortar environment.

It comes as little surprise, as retailers are looking to replicate online communities offline.

“In line on #BlackFriday? Tap to start a conversation and make some friends [at] https://twitter.com/Target,” Target   tweeted.

Casual Attempts At Market Research

Tweets from the Gap and Kohl’s asked shoppers to provide real-time insight into how they were buying and what items they were purchasing– just not explicitly.

Their tweets assumed the conversational tone of a shopping buddy.

“What did you snag during your ‪#BlackFriday shopping haul at Gap?” Tweeted the retailer.

Kohl’s asked, “Retweet your game plan today: are you heading in store or shopping online? Or maybe a little bit of both? ‪#BlackFriday.”

Anthropologie took to Twitter to reinforce its bohemian chic brand essence, suggesting that shoppers de-stress during the Black Friday frenzy by listening to its playlist.

“Stressed about ‪#BlackFriday? Fear not—we put together a little primer for you (including a stay-cool playlist): ‪http://anthrpl.ge/1hgRqXY .”

The playlist on Spotify Included jams like Suzanne by Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions and Blackbird by Sarah McLachlan.

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