Debenhams has reached almost 1.5 million consumers via social media channels thanks to customers who have become online advocates of the department store. The fashion and cosmetics retailer now has 12,000 brand advocates who share their positive Debenham shopping experiences with friends and followers on sites like Facebook and Twiiter.

The GoRecommend programme from Empathica, a customer experience management expert, allows customers to post their thoughts and make recommendations using an automated referral process.

Kate Whittaker, strategy manager at Debenhams, says: “Late last year we decided to include a coupon voucher with every recommendation made by an advocate. During the two-week promotion, advocates delivered the voucher to their friends and followers on social media via GoRecommend. From those advocates, Debenhams received thousands of redemptions and sales.”

After customers complete a retail experience survey, the GoRecommend engine prompts those who were happy with their experience to make an online recommendation on Facebook, Twitter or email. The results instantly generate a significant number of positive brand impressions, as the location-specific content can automatically appear on both a brand’s Facebook fan page, and a user’s profile page.

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