Ranking: the five most engaged retailers on social media

 The top five most-engaged retailers on social media

Argos tops the table by a considerable margin when it comes to the likes, comments and shares it receives on its social media content – which positions its staff members as the stars. 

With an average engagement rate of 22.29%, this ranking shows Argos is head and shoulders above the rest of UK retail in the social media stakes – despite their follower count being the lowest of the five for both Instagram and TikTok. 

@argos We’d be lion if we said Reis wasn’t a king 👑 #Argos #fyp #mufasa #aaronpierre #dancetrend ♬ original sound - PODCAST

TikTok is the standout channel for Argos. The retailer’s content regularly reaches views in the millions, with one of its most recent viral moments, a video of a staff member spoofing actor Aaron Pierre dancing into the Jennifer Hudson talk show, reaching 2.5 million views and gaining almost 250,000 likes.

As impressive as this engagement is, does a dancing staff member really translate to commercial success? 

“TikTok isn’t a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a direct line to discovery, trust and converting customers,” says Sprout Social vice-president of brand, content and social Layla Revis.

“95% of users believe it’s important brands do a good job at keeping up with culture online and TikTok isn’t just a place where culture unfolds, it’s shaping buying decisions across all demographics.

“Argos is a great example of this. The brand uses TikTok to embrace native social trends that are unique to the social media app in order to drive meaningful engagement. This type of content makes customers feel familiar with their brand, driving engagement and, ultimately, customer loyalty and trust.”

Feedonomics senior director of growth Matt Dornfeld agrees, saying: “Social media engagement should definitely still remain a priority for retailers, as it continues to remain vital for growth.

“As the digital landscape continues to evolve, consumers increasingly prefer interactive and seamless experiences, making the adoption of multiple social touchpoints essential for success. Social platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat all have credentials as major growth channels, with even more potential for further expansion as they roll out new features that leverage alternative video formats.” 

M&S is in second place. It’s got a huge Instagram following and the highest engagement rate on that platform out of the five, where its content is less focused on hopping on trends and instead it shares a blend of celebrity content and new launches, along with a smattering of recipe inspiration. 

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A post shared by M&S (@marksandspencer)

M&S takes a similar approach to Argos in spotlighting its employees as the stars of its TikTok channel and is second only to Aldi in its number of followers on the platform. 

“Retailers in particular are doing a great job of leaning into employees and letting them create content to build trust and engagement. This allows retailers to make trending content that feels authentic – they aren’t just jumping on trends but introducing consumers to the people behind their brands,” Revis adds.

“Take M&S and Waitrose, who even have specific TikTok accounts for different stores, enabling hyper-local content and employee-fame. Retail lends itself well to TikTok and social, because of the opportunity to create interactive content, give raw product demos and respond to customers quickly.”

Our third-place retailer Ikea takes a different approach on TikTok, instead of focusing on staff in stores, the homeware giant puts its social energy into making its audience laugh with memes, irreverent cuddly toy announcements and, of course, meatball humour.

“Our latest research shows that brands have just 24-48 hours to jump on trends before they fade,” says Revis. “That means speed matters. Retailers winning on social media are embracing its culture and utilising viral sounds, memes and challenges to create content that brings life to their brands.

@ikeauk This is my idea of a very nice day out. #ikeauk #ikea #garybarlow #viral #fyp #verynicedayout ♬ original sound - IKEAUK

Ikea also excels in organisation content, finding opportunities to position itself alongside trends like fridgescaping (the aesthetic arranging of the contents of your fridge) and meal prepping – both hugely popular subjects on the app – and driving sales by showing off its products. 

TikTok may be huge for engagement, but its also volatile. The TikTok ban in the US, although shortlived, demonstrates the importance of maintaining an omnichannel approach to social strategy as well as commercial strategy. 

“TikTok is undeniably still a leading social commerce platform in the UK, with 44% of UK users making a purchase on the app last year,” says Dornfeld.

“However, the controversy and uncertainty surrounding TikTok in the US at the moment suggests retailers shouldn’t solely invest in the platform and should adopt an omnichannel commerce strategy to achieve long term success. By establishing a presence across multiple channels, retailers can ensure they’re meeting all their customers where they are, maximising reach and therefore sales.

“Furthermore, should we see users shift away from TikTok, having an omnichannel strategy in place now will minimise disruption for retailers, rather than them having to ‘panic pivot’ their strategy, potentially losing loyal customers to competitors in the process.”