Social Media Commerce and Its Meaning

What is social media commerce and its meaning? Read on to learn more.

Social Media Commerce and Its Meaning

Social media commerce is the act of purchasing from a business or brand via a social media platform. It is important to note that “purchasing” does not necessarily include clicking through a purchase link or completing an online transaction.

Instead, social media commerce includes anything that could be reasonably considered purchasing. This includes things like clicking through a link on a social media platform to an online store and even taking advantage of special offers. 

Many of the most popular social commerce platforms are designed specifically to offer discounts and promotions to their users.

It is also important to note that social media commerce can work both ways. In addition to purchasing from brands, brands can purchase from their customers as well. 

This often takes the form of providing free products and services. But it can also include offering discounts on future purchases and other incentives.

History & Timeline

Social media commerce has been around for nearly as long as social media has been a thing. Many social networking sites originally offered shopping opportunities before pivoting towards other forms of content. 

However, until recently it remained more of an afterthought than a primary focus for most companies.

In recent years there has been a marked increase in interest from major brands in the potential of social media commerce. 

This is because of the rise in the number of specialized platforms that facilitates purchases from customers via social media platforms and by the increasing number of brands offering special offers during holidays and other times of high consumer activity on these sites.

Social Media Commerce Benefits

There are many benefits to social media commerce for businesses and brands that choose to pursue it. For example:

It can help drive sales through word of mouth. Social media is a place where people are quite literally talking about the things they like and the ones that they dislike. 

Social media commerce platforms can also help brands capitalize on this by offering special offers. And that will encourage people to share their purchases with their friends and followers. This not only helps to boost sales but also can help brand awareness and loyalty.

Social media commerce can help promote user-generated content. When users share their purchases on social media, brands can encourage them to take pictures and share those as well. 

By doing so, brands then have a way to highlight products being purchased by customers, helping to draw attention to both them and the consumers who bought them.

Social media commerce encourages interaction between businesses and customers. Because social media commerce depends on conversations between businesses and customers taking place on social media, it encourages a greater level of interaction between these groups than traditional forms of marketing do.

Social media commerce helps create trust between businesses and customers. Because social media commerce encourages conversations between companies and customers, it is easier for businesses to engage in honest dialogue with their customers. 

This helps build trust between companies and consumers, which leads to better relationships and increased customer loyalty.