How to Leverage Social Commerce for Higher Sales in the UK Market

What is Social Commerce?

Social commerce is exchanging products and services on social media networks. It is more than using social media as a discovery process, it enables users to finish an entire purchase on the same social media platform. This provides an easy transition from product or service discovery to making a purchase without having to visit a different website.

The leading social media platforms provide retailers with specialised social commerce capabilities, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. You can create a digital store that your audience can browse and purchase goods and services with ease.

E-Commerce vs Social Commerce

E-commerce refers to purchasing and selling products or services on the internet. It involves using websites, store applications, and online marketplaces. Social commerce, on the other hand, is selling your products or services directly on your chosen social media channel. 

Social Media Features

Social media platforms have added numerous social commerce features, including:

Buy Buttons

Buy buttons provides a streamlined process from social media to the product page, often enabling a person to make a purchase without leading social media. 

Multi-tagging

Tagging involves # or @ to another social media account. Most social media platforms allow you to use hashtags to direct customers to your products. Some platforms allow multiple image tags, including links. 

Shop Galleries and Stories

Shop galleries and stores can enhance your e-commerce efforts and can be used to sell products and services directly. You can display products with links to purchasing sites. Facebook and Instagram are adding shopping options to posts, making use of product visualisation in e-commerce.

User Engagement

Traditional e-commerce is passive and requires you list and market your products and services to attract qualified shoppers, while social commerces requires user engagement, such as likes, shares, and comments. It enables consumers to engage with your brand before making a purchase.

Messenger Support

Social media platforms provide messenger support, providing a live chat feature. This ensures you can reply directly to your customers queries and concerns, helping them with their purchasing decision.

Benefits of Social Commerce

Social commerce offers excellent benefits, including:

• Increased customer engagement
• Audience growth
• Higher average order value
• Improved ranking on search engines
• Accurate customer insights

Types of Social Commerce

There are a number of social media platforms offering social commerce. Knowing which ones are offering this valuable tool, helps you determine the right one based on your business and goals:

• Facebook – customised business pages, create different collections, feature and import products from your website 
• Instagram – product discovery and purchase can be done within the Instagram Shops app, along with accessing the Facebook shop
• Pinterest – allows product pins on business pages along with buy now buttons, enabling customers to complete transactions without leaving the social media platform
• YouTube – supporting businesses and brands with numerous features for social commerce 
• TikTok – in-feed video purchases, product showcase tags, TikTok LIVES tool help shoppers shop while browsing their social media stream 

Conclusion

Effective e-commerce strategies should include social commerce to achieve the best end results. It combines social media with e-commerce, helping you attract your targeted audience, boosting brand recognition, and increasing conversions. At Genie Crawl, we know how important social media is to e-commerce businesses. We can help your business connect with a larger audience, force relationships, and increase revenue through social commerce. Get in touch with the Genie Crawl team today to find out more.