The exponential increase of online shoppers due to COVID-19 has made “social commerce” a buzzword. What are the benefits of social commerce to business? Before we dive into that, let’s first discuss what does social commerce means.
What is Social Commerce?
In simple words, social commerce means buying and selling on social media. It has been growing for a long time. And it seems like it will not stop anytime soon due to the rapid increase in online shoppers.
A recent study revealed that 31% of consumers say they’re using social media to browse for new items to buy. Moreover, 67% of millennials said they preferred shopping online to in-store. This is one of the reasons why brands see millennials as the real force behind the growth of social commerce.
Ads by Digital Commerce
The most popular social commerce channels are Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Facebook has the largest user base, making it the most popular social commerce platform. It offers businesses a lot of exposure. Moreover, Facebook was the first social network to introduce the “Buy” button. They also enable businesses to open up a “Shop” directly on their Facebook page.
Like Facebook, Pinterest allows customers to directly buy from the platform with “Buyable Pins”. This visual platform has captured the interest of its consumer base: women aged 18-30. Pinterest features product Pins from tons of brands and businesses.
Instagram offers much higher engagement than Facebook and Twitter. Moreover, this app is for mobile users, and it happens that most of the social commerce taking place is on mobile devices.
Benefits of Social Commerce to Business
Social media has changed the way people shop online. It is a must for businesses to keep up. If you’re still having doubts, listed below are the benefits of social commerce to business.
Drive Authentic Engagement
Social media allows businesses to relate, not just sell. For instance, your content regularly shows up in your customers’ news feeds.
What’s even better is your customers can interact with your content by liking, commenting, and sharing it with their friends. Hence, social commerce brings brands closer to customers and helps brands to connect on a more personal level.
Build Deeper Trust & Loyalty
People trust other people more than brands. The reviews that your customers leave on your brand will have a great effect on your ability to retain and attract customers.
Moreover, 4 out of 10 people follow their favorite brands on social media. This is a great opportunity for brands to develop deeper trust and better relationships with them. And as an end result, brands will win the customers’ loyalty.
Consider posting behind-the-scenes footage and live stories to make your page more human and transparent. Consumers are humans and they want to interact with humans, too.
Get Shared & Recommended
Customers can easily share and recommend your brand on social media if they are satisfied with your products. This enables you to gain more popularity and customers – for free.
However, keep in mind that unhappy customers can do the complete opposite by badmouthing your brand. Handle negative customer feedback professionally by responding and compensating immediately. Moreover, show that you care by showing empathy in your response.
The key here is to focus on great customer service and sell products that people will likely recommend to their peers.
Reach a Global Audience
Social media has no geographical audience. Hence, there’s no better platform than social media if you’re targeting an international audience. For instance, Facebook alone has over 2 billion users worldwide. Just imagine the number of people your brand can reach if you’ve done your strategy right.
Ads by Digital Commerce
