Electrical and tech retailer Currys steals organic social engagement march on rivals John Lewis and Argos

Currys has been winning plaudits of late for its organic social engagement strategy, with Brand & Marketing Director Dan Rubel taking to LinkedIn to "shout out the fab team that runs it."

In a post, Rubel focused on TikTok, noting that, "our main account lifetime likes has hit 7.5 million (with 2.3 million brought in over the last six months) - whilst competitors aren't in the same race (e.g. John Lewis at 0.8 million lifetime likes, Argos at 0.4 million lifetime likes)."

"There are other UK brands with brilliant TikTok engagement of course (Aldi UK, M&S Food, Lidl GB, Nando's UK & Ireland and Specsavers) and some of those have more lifetime TikTok likes vs. Currys (they got serious about social engagement before we did!).”

"But there's only one UK focused brand we can find that have brought in anywhere near as many likes as Currys over the last six months - that is those chicken lovers over at KFC UK & Ireland. Well done to that team....But most of all (as I am shamelessly biased in my heart)."

He added: "By the way, the stats above ignore comment likes and brands' secondary accounts (e.g. our gaming account, ours and other brands' store accounts etc.). The comparison also ignores fashion and beauty (who operate in a different social universe!) and internationally foot-printed brands/accounts."

"But - if you think I've missed anybody who's running mega numbers, tell me! We're eager to compare ourselves against the best. But don't darken my door with "engagement rate" comparisons. Who cares!! I care about engagement (with likes being the purest manifestation of that). The more likes we get, the more impact we're having - albeit on many more people than just those who hit the like button."

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Social engagement will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which will open for entries in March, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.