In today’s modern world, traditional forms of marketing and commerce are being replaced and overtaken by their digital counterparts. The internet has revolutionized the way that we do business and it has presented us with a plethora of new avenues for sales and revenue. One relatively new type of process we are seeing a surge in is social commerce. This article and infographic aim to describe exactly what social commerce is, and why it is so widely used.
Social commerce is a combination of social networking platforms and e-commerce. Popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are enabling the sale and purchase of goods and services through their platforms. For example, Facebook has implemented its marketplace system in which its users can trade goods, while Instagram has integrated Shopify into its users’ feeds. Most popular social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Shopify, YouTube, and Pinterest have all implemented some form of social commerce in recent years.
So, why is social commerce beneficial? For the user, it presents an unrivaled level of convenience. Users can now use favorite social media sites to shop – what more could they want! Instead of having to open a separate web page, a user can simply purchase directly through the social media platform with a few clicks. Additionally, since most e-commerce platforms use social networks to promote special deals, you can grab an Amazon discount or something of the sort directly from their social media page, and apply it to the product you’re purchasing.
For businesses, it presents a greater level of exposure and the chance to appeal to a much larger audience. Consider how many millions of people log in to social media sites on a daily basis – that type of user base is hard to find elsewhere! Additionally, social commerce can also improve a business’s web presence and organic SEO which is always beneficial.
As you can see, this type of e-commerce solution has huge potential, and as more businesses realize the benefits, we should only see an increase in its usage.
