2023-09-19 09:05:31
Have you ever entered social media with the intention of looking for entertainment, and ended up making a purchase? As consumers, when we move around TikTok «Para Ti»we come across videos with products that can pique our interest, without realizing that the button to buy that item is right above the title.
Consumers love how easy it is to shop now. But, What about companies? What do you think about social commerce?
Social selling trends
Social commerce is a growing channel for both buyers and sellers.
As seen in the survey Consumer Trends, made by Hubspot, social networks are the future of shopping. Within Generation Z, Millennials and Generation X, social media is the preferred channel for product discovery. Among all consumers, there is a growing number of social media users who shop on social media.
In this survey, 87% of sellers say social selling has been effective for their business this year. 59% say their company is making more sales through social media this year compared to last year. Some marketers who sell on multiple channels felt that social media is the best for targeting potential customers and provides one of the best returns on investment.
Accurate audience segmentation is a key benefit, beyond advertising
More than 50% of social sellers mentioned audience reach when asked about the benefits of social selling. They also say that the ability to advertise to your target audience is the most important feature a platform should have, as it can reach otherwise untapped markets.
Paid ads are often the first thing you think of when it comes to targeted advertising. But fortunately, social media has more than that. Brands can reach their target audience through other pull marketing methods, such as:
UGC– Creators reach a community of people who share similar interests as the creator and are likely part of the brand’s target audience.
Word of mouth marketing– One-click sharing on social media makes WOM easier and also reaches people with similar interests.
Active community participation– Posts with high engagement tend to appear on discovery pages, which are tailored to users based on their interests.
Social Sellers Still Diversify Where They Sell
Social selling is not seen as a replacement for other channels, but rather as a complementary channel. 94% of social sellers also sell on another digital channel, such as their own website or a third-party online marketplace.
This is probably because social stores can be easily integrated from e-commerce websites and connected to third-party online marketplaces. The ease of implementation and high profitability of social stores make them a worthwhile investment.
Sellers struggle to build trust, but UGC can help
Of the companies surveyed, 3 out of 4 republish UGC. 87% say UGC increases their sales and 92% say it increases brand awareness. Companies have great trust in UGC
The aforementioned survey shows that consumers do not fully trust social shopping. Only 47% of social media users feel comfortable purchasing through social platforms, and the main concern is that companies are not legitimate.
Similarly, when social marketers were asked about the challenges of selling on social media, many shared the difficulty of convincing customers to trust their brand/store. Since many social stores are small businesses and there is a rise in both sellers and scammers on social media, building trust is difficult.
That brings us to the benefit of incorporating UGC into your sales strategy. Since UGC allows customers to share their personal experiences with products, it acts as social proof that the product is authentic and valuable, with clear use cases.
Social proof guides purchasing decisions: one in four social media users purchased a product based on an influencer’s recommendation in the last three months. Consumers who find interesting products through UGC can easily access the brand’s social store from the tags in the UGC post and make a purchase.
Marketers can encourage customers to post UGC through incentives and active community engagement.
Among the types of content that brands post on social media, relatable content is the most memorable for consumers.
At the same time, there has been a growth of consumers who now consider themselves content creators. Brands can take advantage of this trust and the growth of content creators by encouraging customers to post their own UGC.
64% of social marketers said active community engagement is most effective in encouraging customers to repost UGC, closely followed by incentives (discounts, rewards, etc.). Sellers have also shared how beneficial UGC has been for them. With the vast social media network, one post can reach and be talked about by many.
How to take advantage of inbound marketing in social selling
Social media’s frictionless shopping experience supports the buyer’s journey. If you’ve ever shopped on social media, you’ll have noticed how quick the process is.
Here’s an example of how social media features cover the buyer’s journey:
Awareness: Through push and pull marketing strategies such as targeted advertising, influencer marketing, and word-of-mouth marketing, consumers become aware of a brand’s products and consider learning more.
Consideration: If a consumer decides to learn more, they can examine the brand profile, which contains a digital store, an active community, and product reviews. As a visitor to the community, the consumer can perceive the personality of the brand and how the brand interacts with its community. This can affect purchase intent, as Generation Z especially values brands that have active communities.
Decision: Now that the consumer has “visited” the brand, they may have questions. These questions can be answered through posts and reviews, or through direct messages. Once the consumer decides to purchase, they can make the payment in the app.
Throughout this process, the consumer has never left the social media application. Social selling reduces the friction of traditional e-commerce, where consumers can research on social networks, buy on a website, make phone calls to request services, etc. Consolidating these tasks into a single platform simplifies the purchasing process for consumers, increasing customer satisfaction and business sales.
Social selling also encourages impulse buying. When asking sellers about the benefits of social selling, several of them mentioned “impulse buying.” Because social media is so widely used, someone who intended to scroll for entertainment may be drawn to a product through an ad or UGC post and end up leaving the app with a purchase.
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