Complete and Updated List of U.S. Retail Industry Companies Using Twitter

Customer Service, Marketing, Advertising, and Brand Management Meet Social Media

The latest social media trend for the U.S. retail industry is Twitter, a web-based service that is host to millions of "tweet" messages per day, each of which is no longer than 140 characters. Although the business use of Twitter is still in the experiemental stage, retailers have successfully used its micro-blogging, instant message technololgy for customer service, marketing promotions, advertising campaigns, brand management, and loyalty-building via good old-fashioned conversation conducted in the most high-tech way.

Although Twitter is an obviously useful communication tool, what's not so obvious to the retail industry companies that are using the service, is how to generate measurable business results which justify all the twittering. One thing is certain, however. If millions of potential customers are tweeting around in the Twittersphere, then that's a good place for a retail company to makes its presence known.

Below is an updated list of retail companies with Twitter accounts, an overview of their Twitter activity, and their Twitter username. This list was last updated on June 8, 2009.

7 Eleven

- 7_Eleven
- 7elevencareers
-7ElevenSoCal

American Apparel
- americanapparel
Impromptu contests, sale notices, new product announcements, and some general twit-chat with 27,000+ followers

Best Buy
- bby_community
General conversation, customer service issues, retweets of public relations messages from other Best Buy Twitter accounts

- BBYM463
- Best_Buy_Mobile
Only a few messages, all focused on introducing Best Buy’s mobile products and services

- BestBuy
Job announcements, corporate news, PR releases, links to (favorable) external media stories about Best Buy

- BBYJanesville
- BBYFlowerMound
- BBY86and LexNYC
- BBYPDX
- Best_Buy_485
- Bestbuy205
- BestBuy1494
- BestBuyArkansas
- BestBuyAZ
- BestBuyBayArea
- bestbuyboca
- bestbuycolumbia
- BestBuyCulver
- BestBuyEagan
- BestBuyLA
- Bestbuylakewood
- bestbuymodesto
- BestBuyontheRow
- BestBuyPhoenix
- BestBuySac
- BestBuySD
- bestbuysterling
- BestBuyUGC
Local news and events, local store products and promotions, local customer service issues, usually communicated by the local store manager or employee

- BestBuyMusic
Promotional messages about music CDs and equipment available for purchase at Best Buy

- BestBuy_Outlet
Sales and promotional messages about clearance products in the “outlet” pages of the Best Buy website

- BestBuyRemix Conversation and announcements about Best Buy API development, and intermittent commercial announcements regarding Best Buy products

- OnlyAtBestBuy
Information about products that are exclusively available at Best Buy, lots of Chickenfoot messages.

Bi-Lo
- BILOSuperSaver
Sales, specials, promotions, coupons, and general PR announcements

Books-a-million
- booksamillion "Deal of the Day," book release announcements, sales, and specials

Borders
- BordersMedia
Author news, new product info, specials, some twit-chat with 12,000+ followers
- BordersBoston
- BordersDeKalbIL
- BordersNYC
Author news and local booksigning events at Borders stores

Dell

- Dell_Mini
- dell_storage
- DellChannel
- dellhome
- DellHomeOffers
- DellHomeOffersUK
- DellHomeSalesAU
- DellHomeSalesBR
- DellHomeSalesJP
- DellHomeSalesKR
- DellHomeSalesNZ
- DellInsideIT
- DellLifestyle
- Delllounge
- dellnews
- DellOutlet
- DellOutletUK
- DellShares
- DellSmBizOffers
- DellSmallBiz
- DellTechCenter
- DellUK
- DellYourBlog
- Digital_Nomads
- Direct2Dell
- IdeaStorm
- IdeaStormAction
- Regeneration
- StudioDell
- TeamDell

- DellDirekte
- DellenDirecto
- DellHomeSalesCN
- Direct2Dell_CN
- Direct2Dell_JP
Communications about Dell products and services in the native language of the countries where Dell has significant presence

Dunkin Donuts

- DD Columbus
- Dunkin_Columbus
- DunkinDonuts
- DunkinDonutsATL
- DunkinDonutsCtr

Fresh and Easy
- Fresh_and_Easy
Product info and recommendations from both Fresh & Easy corporate and customers, some twit-chat with the 3,200+ followers

Harley Davidson
- CentralTXHarley
- GoeHD
- HarleyAustralia
- harleydavidson
- LAHarleydealer
- RenoHD
- rocklin
- TrivettHarley
- zionharley

Home Depot
- HomeDepotHawaii
- thehomedepot

IKEACustom
- IKEAITALIA
- IKEA_Oz_East
- IKEAChicago
- IKEAGlasgow
- IKEATwinCities

Marble Slab
- MarbleSlab
- MarbleSlabBBY
- MarbleSlabCan
- MarbleSlabNW
- MSCoquitlam

Office Depot
- officedepot
- DepotDeals

Oracle
- oracleretail

Overstock.com
- OAuctions
- OReturns
- Overstock
- overstockdotcom

PETCO
- PETCO
Pet and animal-related news, coupons, specials, sales, impromptu contests, and some twit-chat with 2,300+ followers

Sam's Club
- samsclubauto
- SamsClubDeals
- SAMSCLUBBRASIL

Sears
- SearsAuto
- SearsDeals
- SearsOutlet

Starbucks
- MyStarbucksIdea
- sbuxdrink
- Starbucks
- StarbucksBangor
- Starbucks_es
- StarbucksMY
- yourStarbucks

Target
- TargetINC
- targetinteriors

The Athletes Foot
- TheAthletesFoot

Whole Foods
- LaurelhurstWFM
- MLVFood
- oakvillewfm
- RedmondWFM
- wfmbcf
- WFM_Bellingham
- WFMBeverlyHills
- WFM_Cary
- WFMCincinnati
- WFM_Columbus
- wfm_framingham
- WFMFranklin
- WFMFremont
- WFM_FreshPond
- wfmglendale
- WFMHinsdale
- WFMgtn
- WFM_Jenkintown
- WFM_Louisiana
- wfm_louisville
- WFM_Marlton
_ WFM_Mason
- WFM_Nashville
- wfm_oakland
- WFMOPK
- WFMPARAMUS
- wfmpdxpearl
- WFMProspectSt
- WFMRaintree
- WFM_Reno
- wfmscottsdale
- WFM_ShortPump
- WFMSOS
- WFM_Superior
- WFM_Symphony
- WFMtorrance
- WFMTuscon
- wfmvenice
- WFMWestLA
- WFM_Westlake
- WFM_Woburn
- WFWoodlandhills
- whole_foods
- WholeFoodsChrAZ
- WholeFoodsDFW
- WholeFoods
- WholeFoods_Bldr
- wholefoods_drh
- WholeFoodsHi
- WholeFoodsHOU
- WholeFoodsMTW
- wholefoodsnyc
- WholeFoods_OSU
- WholeFoodsPonce
- WholeFoodsPOP
- WholeFoodsPV
- WholeFoodsRVR
- WholeFoodsTempe
- WholeFoodsUHts
- WholeFoodsUNI
- wholefoods_wil
- WholeRecipes
- WholeFoods_Way

Zappos.com
- inside_zappos
- zappos
- Zappos_Bookclub
- zappos_helpdesk
- Zappos_Service

- Zappos employee accounts too numerous to list
Zappos employees twittering in and out of the workplace with cutomers and non-customers about what they're doing, thinking, and observing