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Unmetric's Top Retailer Report shows social media showdown

Target is the clear leader on Twitter, while Walmart leads in Facebook presence.

October 1, 2012

Unmetric released today its Top Retailer Report. The social benchmarking company produced the report to better understand the social media interaction between leading retailers and their customers.

When it comes to fan base, the number of Facebook fans and Twitter followers varies for each social network and for each brand. On Facebook, Walmart has over 17 million fans, followed by Target with over 14 million and Kohl's with close to seven million. By comparison, Target strongly leads on Twitter, with just over 339 thousand followers. The next closest competitor is Nordstrom, at 182 thousand followers. Walmart rounds out the top three at 156 thousand.

Target also takes the lead in growth on Facebook, growing 83 percent over the past six months, with no other retailer coming close. On Twitter, Macy's is growing the fastest at 29 percent, followed by Gap at 22 percent, and Target and JCPenney at just over 20 percent, the announcement said.

So when it comes down to overall winners: According to the Unmetric Scores, Walmart crept past Target on Facebook with a score of 75, taking the lead with over 17 million fans. However, Target saw 83 percent growth on Facebook and had the highest level of engagement, contributing to its Unmetric Score of 72, securing second place in the rankings. What's more, Target is the clear leader on Twitter with an Unmetric score of 52 (compared to Walmart's 43).

According to the company, the Unmetric Score is a "scientific score that combines key social media metrics to give you a snapshot of your social media efforts."

"Commercial retail has long been an American way of life," said Unmetric CEO Lux Narayan, "But in the era of social media, these stores are looking for ways to directly engage with their shoppers online and compete for customers. The Unmetric Top Retailer Report looks deep inside the social media strategies of the top US retailers to decipher who’s actually winning on Facebook and Twitter."

Read more about social media in retail.