To achieve a representative sample, Compete analysed 2,600 panelists who were exposed to at least one tweet posted by a company in the retail vertical from 1 August to 14 October. The retailers under study included Apple, Amazon, Groupon, Pottery Barn and Walmart. Overall, 665 retail sites were included.

It found that Twitter users are heavy online retail shoppers and buyers. Additionally, the more tweets that Twitter users see, the more likely they are going to buy. Compete observed an even larger lift when comparing Twitter users to the average internet user than when looking at general site visiting. Overall, 26.9% of US internet users purchased something from a retail website during the analysis timeframe.

However, Twitter users purchased from the same sites at a rate of 33.4% and those Twitter users who were exposed to a retail tweet purchased at a 38.9% rate. Those exposed to retail tweets 12 or more times were 32% more likely to purchase from those retailers compared to all users exposed to retail Tweets.

Taylor Schreiner, co-head of Twitter ad research, said in a blog post: “Twitter users are big online buyers but big brands aren’t the only retailers that benefit. Twitter brings people closer to a wide range of interests so niche retailers who connect with the highly engaged audience on Twitter often see a greater lift in results. The frequency of your Tweets matters but so does the quality. Start by sharing relevant, timely messages that Twitter users will find valuable. Then, test and experiment to find the frequency ‘Tweetspot’ with your audience.”

The move comes after Facebook launched a self-service conversion system for direct response marketers which aims to help them more effectively measure their ad campaign ROI and optimise future campaigns for even greater returns.

Last month, Twitter announced plans to run “Twitter Surveys” on behalf of brands in the format of “Promoted Tweets”. It will run the initiative in conjunction with Nielsen.