The Brits, seen from across the Atlantic or the Channel, are famous for their reservedness. So it should come as no shock that a recent dotCommerce study says U.K. retailers haven’t been making the most of social media.

A quick look at the most active retailers on All Facebook’s Facebook Page Leader Board shows that the British store with the most fans is The Body Shop, coming in at 23rd place with just over 162,000 fans. Common sense would tell you that a chain with The Body Shop’s loyal following and international presence could work wonders with Facebook and Twitter. But The Body Shop’s  Facebook presence lacks the luster of its shampoos and creams. From its Facebook presence, you can find out about a new store opening and get to read what other fans say about products, but not much more.

Compare that with the American Cheesecake Factory’s page, a restaurant chain that’s in ninth place with almost 300,000 fans – though it’s by no means the retailer with the most innovative social media presence (see Starbucks for that). Right off the bat you get two opportunities – a “Share Your Love Story” contest and a “What Flavor Are You” quiz – to engage with the brand. It’s not rocket science, just your typically American “have a nice day” style of engagement.

Why is the e-word (engagement, we mean) so important for retailers? As yet another new study shows, Facebook pages help brands increase loyalty and sell more. So if history is any indication, the Brits will catch on – and improve on a good thing. Look what happened to rock-n-roll.