Social network analysis and domestic and international retailers: An investigation of social media networks of cosmetic brands

Abstract

As brands’ use of social media to connect with customers becomes increasingly important, there is a need to continually monitor social network activities. Although numerous studies have examined consumer behaviors on social media, only a handful of studies have adopted a social network analysis approach. Considering this gap, the current study analyzed Twitter networks of two multi-brand retailers to investigate network activities. The findings from analyzing network patterns reveal that while brands are able to deliver messages through digital platforms, they may only have limited control over the communications within networks, and thus cannot govern the spread of information.