The term “social commerce” refers to the combination of social media and e-commerce. In its most basic form, it’s what happens when savvy marketers use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to drive sales directly on those platforms.
E-commerce is already complicated enough; why add another layer of complexity in social media? Except that when you learn to use social commerce wisely and focus on relationships, it’s a win-win situation for everyone.
Understanding Social Commerce
Social commerce is the direct merging of user-generated content and social media into the online purchase process. It occurs when we take the best aspects of e-commerce and apply them to social media to make things even better. Watch as your sales spike, and your marketing budget explodes.
Advantages
Influencer marketing, affiliate marketing, and user-generated content are just a few examples of the many different ways social commerce may be used, but they all aim to engage customers in a way that feels natural rather than intrusive. As a result, businesses have new chances to provide consumers with seamless experiences across platforms and in their homes.
The consumer journey has been shortened by this streamlining of the purchasing process, giving them the chance to explore new collections, keep current with their options, and shop at their convenience.
Why
Social commerce is simply cool stuff that you just can’t live without, delivered to your doorstep. You can use social commerce to filter among hundreds of products based on popularity, current trends, and shared opinions. Interested in crafting supplies? You’ll discover the best—and latest—products, hand-picked by people who share your interests. Have a beauty obsession? You can unearth hard-to-find gems with innovative formulas that are all the rage. Join a community of fellow enthusiasts with social commerce.
Top 3 Platforms
Facebook shop
One of the most popular platforms is Facebook Shop, which not only simplifies the experience for both the seller and the buyer but is also extremely convenient.
Instagram Shop
Who doesn’t spend half of their day scrolling through Instagram?
It allows users to purchase products featured in photos and videos from anywhere within the app.
Creating a shop here is a difficult process; you must have a Facebook shop that will pull data from your Instagram shop.
Most of you will say that we cannot directly shop on Pinterest; this is correct; Pinterest does not solely offer social commerce. It does allow business accounts to create “Product Pins,” which are displayed on the brand’s Pinterest Shop. You cannot shop directly from the app, but there are links embedded that will take you to the platform where you can place your order.
Expanding audiences
Social commerce is the holy grail of e-commerce. Social media sites and apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have immense influence over what consumers buy online. When you combine their reach with savvy marketing tactics, you get a powerful way to drive sales. The best part? It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg!
Maximizing brand experiences
It is all about the intersection of social media and e-commerce. It’s where buyers and sellers meet, where the new economy of sharing, grabbing, snagging and co-creating takes place, where trends are born and shared, brand loyalty is created and rewarded, and consumers can feel like insiders who have discovered something new and special.
To Summarize
While social media remains a hotbed of innovation, e-commerce has been on a tear. The combination of Social media and Commerce will provide more opportunities for brands to create frictionless shopping experiences and reach consumers where they matter.
The importance of digital marketing in the overall marketing mix is growing & the opportunities for brands to create one-of-a-kind experiences will grow.
