Social commerce is the act of buying and selling products or services directly within social media platforms. It involves taking social media out of its traditional role in the search process. Instead, users can shop all within the same platform.

Online shopping has become social. Imagine scrolling through Instagram and finding something you like. You can make the entire purchase within the app to avoid having to go to the product’s destination page. That is the experience that social commerce provides. Social commerce reduces the purchase process by removing additional steps, making consumers more likely to make a purchase. Social commerce can thus be the key to success when using social media for retail. Here, you can take a deeper look at what social commerce is and how your brand can take full advantage of it.

What is Social Commerce?

Social commerce is the act of buying and selling products or services directly within social media platforms. It involves taking social media out of its traditional role in the search process. Instead, users can shop all within the same platform. This means they can quickly go from product discovery to purchase without leaving the desired app. Today, leading social media platforms offer specific social commerce tools for retailers, including platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. Using these tools, you can create online stores directly within the respective platforms. This way, people can use these online stores to find and purchase products without having to visit another website.

Social Commerce vs. E-commerce:

E-commerce encompasses the entire process of buying and selling products online. This includes selling through digital channels such as online marketplaces, websites, and apps specifically for retailers. Meanwhile, social commerce involves selling directly through social media platforms. Since social media is an online channel, social commerce is a part of e-commerce, but it is not the same as e-commerce.

Benefits of Social Commerce for Your Business:

Reach a Wider Audience:

Social media usage continues to grow, with more than 5 billion users worldwide, coupled with the fact that consumers discover new brands and products through social media. Consumers search for products through social media posts. With social commerce integrated into social media apps, researching products on social media and checking out friends’ posts are other common ways consumers search for products.

Increase Reviews and Recommendations through Social Proof:

If your business is new to online selling, social media is the perfect place to start building the much-needed social proof. When shopping online, your shoppers may not be able to test or try your products. Reviews can be the key to making informed purchasing decisions. Managing the end-to-end customer journey on social media creates a positive feedback loop that ultimately impacts your bottom line. Your social content attracts new followers to your sales funnel, and offering social commerce gives them the opportunity to purchase and leave reviews in one place.

Gather Valuable Data on Your Customers’ Social Media Habits:

Social commerce features give you direct access to your customers’ social profiles, giving you valuable customer insights that you can use to inform your existing strategies. Combine these insights with social media listening to understand your target audience better. This way, you’ll gain a more comprehensive picture of your customers’ habits and interests. You can then create more inspiring conversion experiments based on these insights. The results can inform A/B testing of your messaging, CTA optimization, and more so you can make a bigger impact on your audience.

Generate More Revenue than Traditional E-commerce:

Social commerce is increasingly driving marketing-driven revenue for e-commerce businesses. According to EMarketer, U.S. retail social commerce sales are expected to pass $100 billion by 2025. With retail and social commerce set to triple by 2025, it’s a great way to jump on the social commerce bandwagon, as it opens up new opportunities for your business. The business to drive sales gives you the opportunity to grow your revenue.

Key Social Commerce Trends and Social Selling Tips:

Eye-Catching Visuals Are Essential For Social Selling:

The 70% of shoppers turn to Instagram to find products. Having a visible storefront on Instagram allows people to shop from images and videos regardless of where they are on the app. In this case, the content you post on social media, especially on a visual platform like Instagram, is crucial for social selling marketing.

Selling Through Conversational Chatbots:

The main idea behind having a social media presence is to communicate with people. However, having hundreds or thousands of messages flooding your inbox can be frustrating. With the help of chatbots, brands don’t need to have agents to answer customer questions. Chatbots can also make recommendations based on customer preferences and share product images to drive sales with smaller teams.

Partner With Kols/Micro-Influencers To Increase Awareness:

Even if you have a great product, you still want more people to know about it. Inviting KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) or Micro-Influencers to try and review your product can help boost your social commerce marketing across their audience.

Livestream on Social Media:

With faster and more powerful networks everywhere, live streaming is becoming more popular, giving viewers the chance to learn more about your business through authentic and interactive experiences. Use automation to respond to people who comment on your live-stream videos and integrate these contacts for future Facebook Messenger broadcast campaigns.

Create a Seamless Shopping Experience

Your social selling strategy must be all about creating a seamless path to purchase for your customers. Your social selling system needs to be tested and refined to ensure a smooth customer journey. Businesses need to leverage the features on social commerce platforms to allow customers to ask questions, place orders, and pay in a quick, convenient, and secure way in chat.

Conclusion:

Social commerce seamlessly combines the power of social media with online shopping, creating an engaging and convenient experience for customers. The market is growing rapidly today, and millennial are expected to account for one-third of global social commerce spending. For businesses looking to connect with a worldwide audience, build brand loyalty, and achieve sustainable growth, social commerce may be a marketing channel worth exploring. By integrating social commerce into your digital marketing strategy, you can take advantage of the latest social commerce trends and create memorable shopping experiences.