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Black Friday shoppers tweet, friend and clip

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-30 09:24

But social media has not yet caught on with everyone.

On Friday, shoppers at the Best Buy located across the street from OfficeMax were walking around holding the retailer's newspaper ad, which touted a 32-inch Dynex LCD TV for $299.99 and an Insignia digital camera for $49.99.

Senta Erbe was one shopper who said she preferred seeking deals in ads in her newspaper. Before heading to Best Buy, where she was buying DVDs and an external hard drive, she clipped coupons for stores like Target Corp and Macy's Inc that she intended to visit later in the day.

According to a pre-Thanksgiving survey by consulting firm Deloitte, 40 percent of consumers said they planned to obtain Black Friday sales information from newspapers, while 29 percent said they would look at mailers and flyers.

Twenty-seven percent said they would scan websites dedicated to featuring Black Friday deals, while 24 percent said they would look at retailers' websites.

While social media is still an emerging marketing tool, Kasey Lobaugh, a principal at Deloitte Retail, said many retailers like it because it gives them a way to track how many shoppers they are reaching.

"If you send out a URL via Twitter you know how many people clicked on that URL," he said. "When you put a newspaper tab out, you have no idea of the traffic in your stores, how much was influenced by seeing an ad in the newspaper that day."

But Salzman said social media has a ways to go in proving it can meaningfully drive retailers' sales.

While companies may attract shoppers by offering special deals -- like when Starbucks Corp allowed Facebook fans to print out an invitation to get a free pastry in its coffee outlets when they purchased a drink -- she said those offers do not necessarily create customer loyalty.

"Success lies in a repeat customer," she said.

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