Nigel Wilkinson
Managing Director of Daneswood. Nigel has been in sales and marketing since the 1980's and run digital marketing agencies since 2000.
We’ve all heard of eCommerce websites to generate your online sales, but how does social commerce differ, and should you be using it?
What is Social Commerce?
Over the recent months and years, social media platforms have been updating and now users can buy products without leaving their favourite social site.
It improves the experience for many social media users because they can see and buy the product in one click rather than scouring your site for the product they saw on Instagram.
This is also a huge step for many businesses who get the majority of their business from social media or who already have a large social following.
Facebook and Instagram are just a couple of examples of platforms that offer great scope for social commerce.
Why Should You Care?
To put it simply, social commerce gives your audience more avenues to buy your products, cuts down the sales process for them and importantly may increase your online sales.
A survey showed that 56% of people like or follow brands they’re interested in on social media.
The main benefit of social media is that it’s instant, your users can see the product and buy it straight away which will help capitalise on the impulsive nature of the apps and you can reach those potential buyers where they spend their time without making them leave their app.
Also, each social platform provides great scope for a variety of age groups, helping you determine which social channels are going to benefit your business the most, and help you expand your audience reach.
There are a couple of features that Facebook offer for social commerce; these are Facebook Shops and Facebook Marketplace.
Facebook Shops allows users to view products on a brands page and make a purchase directly in the app.
This feature can be accessed on either Facebook or Instagram.
Facebook Marketplace is a community-based platform, allowing people to search for products they’re interested in.
Depending on the selected filters, they can see products nationwide or those that are much closer to their location.
Facebook marketplace tends to be used by Facebook users rather than businesses.
Product tags appear when a product is included or mentioned in a post image. This is called a ‘shoppable post’
Users can see which part of the image the product is and find out the name and price.
When clicked on, it takes you through to a page where you can purchase it directly.
If you’re looking to introduce social commerce int your marketing strategy, to increase your target market and generate even more conversions, contact the Daneswood team to find out more.