And, in return, the company surprises its customers with favors, like free next-day delivery on your next purchase. If you are a new customer, they will also sometimes automatically upgrade your shipping to priority shipping, thus building goodwill between Zappos and the first customer. Another way Zappos benefits from encouraging its customers to share their experience is that it allows the company to offer customers personalized, relatable updates through their Tweets and direct communication. It's also another way for the company to do research and development. The company occasionally receives emails from its customers explaining that: “Today I decided to purchase from Zappos because I follow you on Twitter. I feel like I know you” (Schoultz, n.d.) In the age of empowered customers, a social media approach helps companies keep their finger on the “pulse of what matters to their customers” (Success Center, n.d.). Companies like Zappos and its use of Twitter or other social networking platforms to have collaborative interactions with customers and employees allow the company to gain valuable insights and create lasting projects