In the wake of the pandemic, many social media platforms have developed ways to improve brand exposure and increase sales. One of which has been establishing social commerce features. Social Commerce is a branch of e-commerce that combines social media and e-commerce platform capabilities. The goal of social commerce is to give buyers and sellers alike an additional outlet for products and services.
Here are some of the big players in the social commerce landscape and some insight into which platform would work best for your business.
Facebook:
In the early stages of the pandemic, Meta introduced Facebook Shop. Facebook Shop is an extension of Facebook Marketplace, specifically designed to assist the small businesses who were struggling due to the pandemic. With brick and mortar stores closing left and right, Facebook wanted to provide a service where customers could seamlessly buy products directly on their platform. Facebook Shop allows business to pick and choose their favorite products to be highlighted and sold directly on their business Facebook page. Customers no longer need to leave the Facebook app to purchase their favorite things!
Instagram:
In the early stages of the pandemic, Meta also introduced Instagram Shopping. Instagram Shopping is a very similar service to Facebook Shop, with the exception of a few small differences. Instead of products being featured on the business’ Instagram page, there is a specific tab on Instagram dedicated fully to Instagram Shopping. Customers can browse various products, view product information and prices through product tags and directly purchase products without ever having to leave the Instagram App.
TikTok:
Even the world’s newest social media platform, TikTok, has introduced a social commerce feature called TikTok Shop! Although it is still in the early stages, TikTok has piloted the feature in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. TikTok Shop allows businesses to add an additional shopping tab to their business profile page. Businesses can also include links in promotional TikTok videos which lead customers directly to the product information pages. Similarly to both Facebook Shop and Instagram Shopping, customers can purchase products directly on TikTok’s platform.
Shopify and Social Commerce:
One of the biggest perks to utilizing Shopify as an e-commerce platform is its compatibility with social commerce features. There are a number of free apps available that allow store owners to link the products they provide on their Shopify store directly to their social media platforms. Linking platforms has been known to increase brand exposure and, as a result, sales.
Social commerce is certainly not going anywhere anytime soon and many believe it’s the future of e-commerce. If you are interested in learning more about social commerce and how to connect your Shopify store to your social media accounts, please don’t hesitate to shoot us an email at support@hazil.studio!
References:
Reach The Customers You Want With Instagram Shopping
TikTok Shopping expands with more partnerships, LIVE Shopping, new ads and more