Our latest report analyzing consumer trends in the retail sector confirms what many discerning, internet-savvy shoppers know well: Reddit is the place for researching before you buy.
The forum-based social network now has more than 73 million unique daily visitors and a potential global ad reach of 233 million. For shoppers, the site’s thousands of communities, or subreddits, are a treasure trove of unbiased reviews and first-hand experiences.
Our analysis found that Reddit is the top social network for researching apparel, beauty, and consumer electronics items. Electronics, in particular, are a popular topic, with top subreddits for asking questions and getting answers about gadgets being:
Download our Retail Consumer Insights report to discover the top subreddits for other retail sectors and learn more about Reddit marketing.
Most marketers are only beginning to explore the possibilities of Reddit, but some brands, both in retail and beyond, have already found innovative ways to use the network. Here are five brands making a splash on Reddit that marketers can learn from.
Purple Mattress
Purple Innovation, the company behind the Purple mattress, has its own subreddit catering to current and prospective customers. Users post reviews, questions, observations, and gripes for input from the community’s more than 3,800 members, and discussions are helped along by prompts and comments from brand user accounts. Through this centralized hub, Purple has a direct look at its customers’ biggest questions and concerns, as well as which other mattress brands they are eyeing most.
This post, in which a Redditor shares their detailed review of a Purple pillow, generated 40 comments in the LifeOnPurple subreddit.
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile's subreddit, partially moderated by official Mint Mobile customer service accounts, lets current and prospective customers explore the ins and outs of its wireless service. Along with answering questions, the company also uses comments to direct users to further support if needed. The key to this subreddit’s success is Mint Mobile’s light touch — not jumping into every conversation lets the Redditors take the lead, building trust within the community and fostering discussion.
With more than 150 comments, this post asking for opinions about Mint Mobile generated the kind of honest reviews that prospective customers are hungry for.
Blizzard Entertainment
Customers can connect to Blizzard’s official subreddit directly from the company’s website. Boasting more than 94,000 members, it’s where fans of the video game developer go to discuss new releases, old classics, company news, and more. The company’s official Reddit presence complements the larger ecosystem of unofficial, and extremely popular, subreddits dedicated to its hit games. For example, r/Overwatch, a community for Blizzard’s Overwatch franchise, has more than 5.5 million members.
Comments on this post on Blizzard Entertainment's official subreddit offer insight into what fans love about video game villains.
The Washington Post
In 2017, The Washington Post became “the first national news publisher to debut a Reddit profile page.” Seven years later, it’s still going strong, using posts, comments, and AMA (ask me anything) sessions in relevant communities to drive interested audiences directly to its stories. With its original reporting on a range of subjects, u/washingtonpost has endless context and information to add to Redditors’ discussions.
The Washington Post shares content in a range of subreddits, including those shown here dedicated to politics, Washington, D.C., and Joni Mitchell.
NBA
There are many active communities of U.S. basketball fans on Reddit, dedicated to both the National Basketball Association and its individual teams. The league taps into that built-in audience with its official Reddit profile, u/NBA. Though it does so sparingly, u/NBA has posted guides and AMAs to r/NBA, an unofficial NBA subreddit with more than 11 million members. One, with the league’s Head of NBA Basketball Strategy & Analytics, generated 200 comments.
With its AMA sessions, the NBA's Reddit account engages with fans directly. Its response to question gave Redditors a behind-the-scenes peek at how the league operates.
Across industries, marketers are experimenting with new ways to engage consumers through Reddit and are landing on some creative and effective strategies. Let them be inspiration for your own approach — brands that are seeing what works now will have an edge down the line as advertiser presence on the platform continues to grow.
Social listening and consumer intelligence can reveal what Redditors are saying about you and your competitors. Explore platform-specific insights about your brand with a demo of the Meltwater Suite.
