The Rise of Social Commerce: How Social Media Is Becoming the New Face of Online Retail 

The last couple of years have shown a drastic shift in social media as a mere social networking platform for creating and sharing content to active market places to sell and purchase goods of all kinds. Popular social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest have integrated shopping tools to create digital storefronts directly within the app. And this digital trend allowed users to browse, discover, and purchase products without having to leave the platform, which incredibly increased the chances of customers going through with the purchase.

How so?

Having to visit a separate website to make a purchase always puts the customers in a little dilemma as to whether to purchase the desired product or not. The coming of social commerce has however put an end to this dilemma, as the purchase can be done then and there without having to navigate through various websites or multiple-step purchasing processes. Instead, customers can purchase a product in a single click by clicking the buy now button that pops up with every ad campaign or through the digital marketing on every social media platform.

What is social commerce?

Social commerce is the process of buying and selling products directly on social media platforms after getting inspired by a product through a static post or a video ad or through the influence of any other digital marketing tool. Instead of just using social media to discover products, and visiting multiple other pages and sites to search for and find a favored product, users can now complete the entire shopping process—from browsing to purchasing on their social media platforms themselves—without ever leaving the app.

All social media platforms, including the giants like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, have social media shopping features added to their handles in order to allow brands to set up online stores directly within these platforms, pushing customers to make an effortless purchase without the boon of spending extra time or energy.

Key Features of Socia Commerce:

• In-App Shopping: Users can browse and buy products directly within the social media app through social shopping.

• Integrated Shopping Tools: Platforms like Instagram and Facebook allow businesses to create online stores through Instagram Shopping, Facebook Marketplace, TikTok Shop, etc., with product catalogs and shopping features.

• Faster Shopping Experience: Consumers can go from discovering a product to purchasing it in just a few clicks, all within their favorite social apps. This makes the shopping experience x2 faster and a lot more sweeter.

• Increased User Engagement: Social commerce takes advantage of user engagement, allowing followers to make purchases through posts, stories, or even live videos.

• Heightened number of purchases: Since everything happens within the same platform, and within a matter of a few minutes, users don’t need to leave the app to complete their purchase, the likelihood of the number of purchases that happen is beyond excellence.

Social Commerce vs. E-commerce

While e-commerce refers to buying and selling products through websites, online marketplaces, and apps, social commerce is e-commerce on social media, that is, commerce that happens directly on social media platforms. 

Here’s how they compare:

E-commerce	Social commerce
Includes all types of online shopping, whether through a website, online store, or marketplace like Amazon.	Focuses specifically on buying and selling through social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok, often with features like shopping tags and in-app checkout.

In social commerce, businesses can use social media’s interactive features—like user comments, direct messaging, and influencer partnerships—which would increase user engagement as well as add a more personalized shopping experience that is likely to satisfy the customer more than any other type of purchase. In brief, social commerce blends shopping with social engagement, making it easier for users to buy what they like without leaving the platform.

How does social commerce work?

Customers can make purchases via social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and Pinterest just as they see posts, stories or ads of a product, all while skimming through the app. This feature—not having to leave the app for purchases—is what draws customers into social commerce. All that users have to do is discover products through the posts and click on product tags or links to get more information and make a purchase. There are several shopping features integrated into these platforms, like in-app checkout, for customers to buy products instantly, reducing the steps involved in making a purchase. This way, the likelihood of actually going through with a purchase is pretty high compared to e-commerce platforms. However, product discovery and easy purchasing are not just the features offered through these platforms; social commerce leverages engagement features like comments, direct messages, and reviews as well.

Thus, when customers interact more with brands through questions and feedback, the trust factor increases besides just engagement. Targeted ads are another great way through which social commerce personalizes the shopping experience. Integrated payment systems like Instagram checkout or Facebook Pay also, in a way, support this new digital trend through secure transactions and easy payment windows.

Influencer Marketing and User-Generated Content (UGC): The New Sales Forces

Influencer marketing is another big AHA factor that drove social media users to make purchases. It is nearly hard to ignore and scroll further when your favorite influencer is talking nonstop about a product that likely changed his/her life. Partnering with such individuals who have built trust and credibility within communities cuts short the work for brands. Influencers this way promote products through aesthetically pleasing photos, engaging videos, and live streams, all while incorporating shoppable links, discount codes, or affiliate partnerships.

The same is the case with user-generated content. Social media users look for authenticity, and when a person who claims to have used a product demands that the product is good or bad, the user tends to pick up the comment wholeheartedly without questions. This blind belief is what driving brands to encourage their customers to put reviews for more discounts, etc.

Benefits of social commerce for your business

• Wider reach

Social media is always on the rise, with more than 5 million followers around the globe constantly tapping in and out, half of them discovering new brands and products each day. So leveraging social commerce means putting your product in front of a massive audience. The reach could be massive as well; coupled with a few ad posts or videos, the reach could rise even further. 

• Easy conversion

Social commerce makes it easy to convert customers where they are since they can directly make purchases on the platform. It eliminates the need to switch to a different app or website to find the product they want to buy. As such, it removes friction and barriers to purchase by shortening the buying journey.

• Social proof

If your business is new to selling online, social media is the perfect place to begin establishing much-needed social proof. When shopping online, your buyers can’t necessarily test or try on your product. Reviews can be the key to making an educated purchase decision. As your engagement grows with new reviews coming in, it sends a positive signal to social media algorithms. These algorithms will deem your content relevant to even more potential customers.

• Access to customer data

Social commerce features give you direct access to your customers’ social profiles. This gives you valuable customer data that you can use to inform your existing strategy. Combine these insights with social media listening to get an even better understanding of your audience. That way, you get an even more comprehensive look into the habits and interests of your customers. 

Future Social Commerce Trends

• Use of Augmented Reality (AR) for purchases: AR tools are already in play on many social media platforms, some of which enable users to “try on” products virtually, on products like makeup, clothes, or accessories. This technology will most likely gain traction in the coming years and give customers a more realistic sense of what the product would look like on them and how it might fit them.

• Live Shopping and Interaction: Live shopping events are gaining popularity on multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. More brands are likely to use live streams to showcase products through these platforms to interact with viewers in real-time and thereby get hold of a better picture of customer preferences while offering exclusive deals or promotions in return. 

• Integration with AI and Chatbots: AI-driven chatbots and personalized recommendations are already in practice and will continue to evolve in the coming years. This will enhance the shopping experience as chatbots will be able to assist customers in real-time, answer their queries then and there, guide them through the purchase process with pop-up windows, and even help with product recommendations based on preferences their early purchase history.

• Seamless Cross-Platform Shopping Experiences: Integration across multiple social platforms and other digital channels is something that would take a turn in the coming years. Consumers might be able to shop across apps like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok without encountering barriers or inconsistencies. For example, a user might find a product on one platform and complete the purchase on another without losing their cart or payment details.

Final Thoughts

In essence, digital trends like shopping features on social media platforms turn these platforms into an all-in-one shopping experience with a little digital marketing, where users can come in and casually discover products while simply skimming through their favorite pages, learn about them in no time, and purchase products within another few seconds without even having to leave the app. Thus, social commerce with proper digital marketing makes the shopping process more convenient, engaging, and seamless for both businesses and consumers. For businesses seeking to capitalize on this digital trend with digital marketing services, partnering with a digital marketing company or a digital marketing company in India can help create effective strategies to reach and engage target audiences.