What Is Social eCommerce?

“ Sell your products on a platform that your customer trusts.”

Social eCommerce allows for purchases to be contained within a social media platform. This is different from traditional social media marketing which drives referrals to an external website or online store. Social media eCommerce is a new trend that should be seriously considered in every social media marketing campaign and strategy.

Ultimately, businesses want to increase sales and being able to sell your products on social media platforms, that consumers trust and use regularly, is a big advantage.

There are many tools that a business can include in their social media marketing strategy that will help facilitate social eCommerce. These tools include chatbots, SMS / WhatsApp / email marketing campaigns and more. Which third-party tools we decide to use will be determined by who your customer is and how best to reach them. 

Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are our favourite three social sites that we use for social eCommerce. 

Facebook

Facebook allows businesses to create a Facebook shop on their business page. This allows us to upload your product catalogue to your Facebook shop where customers can view product information and then purchase the products directly from your page. You will have the added advantage of being able to use Facebooks paid advertising feature to promote your products online. 

Pinterest

Pinterest offers buyable pins for businesses, these are similar to Facebooks shop feature. This feature allows you to advertise your popular pins on Pinterest and give users the opportunity to purchase the products within Pinterest. For home décor and apparel, Pinterest has recently released a feature called ‘shop the look’ which allows consumers to find a buyable product in a non-buyable pin that they like, this is made possible using artificial intelligence. 

Instagram

Instagram has a feature called shopping. Shopping gives business pages, with 10k or more followers, the opportunity to tag their products in posts and add clickable links that direct consumers to their online store. In March 2019 Instagram started testing a feature called ‘checkout’ which allows users to make purchases within the app itself but this is currently only available to brands like Nike, Adidas, H&M and other selected brands. 

Instagram doesn’t currently allow for purchases to be made directly from the social media platform so we don’t technically consider it a true social eCommerce site. However, Instagram shopping does allow for some powerful and effective eCommerce features that can drive sales, which is why we include it in our social media marketing strategies wherever possible. 

You can be sure that social media sites will start providing more and more features to facilitate social eCommerce VividMedia plans to stay at the forefront of this revolution. 

Benefits of Social Media eCommerce 

Frictionless transactions on social platforms that consumers trust and use 

Businesses have had the benefit of using social media for cost effective advertising for some time now, but the fact that purchases can be made on the same trusted platforms – is a big deal. 

Provide purchase opportunities where there is purchase intent 

Facebook statistics reveal that 70% of consumers use Instagram for product discovery – this indicates that the users on social platforms have purchase intent, it just makes sense to give them the opportunity do so when they find what they looking for. 

Social eCommerce requires less click’s 

As a business, you have to create the least friction possible when it comes to customers purchasing. Luckily for us social media eCommerce requires less clicks than traditional eCommerce and doesn’t direct the consumer to a separate landing page. When a consumer finds a product they like, social eCommerce makes it that much easier and enticing to complete the purchase. 

Browse, purchase and review in one place 

For the consumer, social media eCommerce will be a welcomed form of eCommerce because they will have the benefit of being able to browse, purchase and review products on a platform that isn’t foreign to their normal online behaviour. 

Increase brand awareness 

An added benefit of listing your products on social media is that you don’t only create an opportunity for direct sales but you also get the added advantage of brand awareness from the organic social media advertising that takes place simultaneously. 

Analytics 

Social media eCommerce allows for analytics and conversion tracking can be done within one platform at no extra cost. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Social eCommerce 

What is social commerce?

True social commerce is a subset of eCommerce done on social media sites which allow for the selling of products to be done on the social platform, without the customer having to leave the site. 

What is the difference between social eCommerce and social media marketing?

Social eCommerce allows for frictionless transactions to be made within a social media platform. Social media marketing aims to drive referral traffic to a website or an online store, where the transaction is then made ‘externally’. 

Do the social eCommerce platforms take a percentage of the sales?

Yes – Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram do. 

Why is social eCommerce effective in driving sales?

The transaction is made within a platform that the customer trusts and is familiar with. It is a frictionless transactional process which requires fewer clicks than traditional eCommerce. 

Which social media sites allow for social eCommerce?

The most popular social media sites – Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Instagram shopping, however, doesn’t allow for purchases to be made within the platform. Instagram checkout will allow this soon but is currently only available for a few major brands. 

Does my business qualify for a social eCommerce account?

Yes – for Facebook shopping all you have to do is register as a business page and for Pinterest you have to register a business account. You can apply for Instagram shopping with an Instagram business account, but there is no guarantee that Instagram will approve your application. 

How do I start selling on social media?

You must apply for a shopping account on the most relevant social media platform and then upload your products. 

What tools can I use to boost sales on social media?

You can use social media paid advertising, SMS campaigns, email campaigns, chat Bots, WhatsApp for businesses, high-quality content and influencer marketing. 

Which social media platform is best for selling my products?

This will depend on your product and your consumers demographics. 

How do I measure the effectiveness of social media eCommerce?

You can use analytics to track sales, engagement, email leads and successful purchases.

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