By Kumar Saurav
Consumer shopping behaviour has undergone tremendous changes in the past few years. Brands are constantly trying to find innovative ways to make the shopping experience more seamless, engaging and personalised. Integration of e-commerce into social media platforms helps brands tap into the user segment who research products on social channels. According to the GlobalWebIndex, around 54% of social browsers scout for products using social media. Businesses can utilise this extensive user base and engagement levels by incorporating e-commerce functionalities within their social media platforms to facilitate transactions through shoppable posts and user-generated content.
Unlike traditional e-commerce, social commerce allows users to complete their transactions within the social media environment without being redirected to a separate website. This enhances the user experience and helps boost sales. In-feed shopping helps users discover, research and purchase products within their social media feed. This harnesses the casual browsing patterns of users and helps showcase products/services in a non-intrusive manner by weaving it into the user’s context.
Strategies That Pave The Way For Social Commerce Success
- Create Engaging Content
Creating high-quality engaging content is crucial to grasp the attention of users, especially in a world where they are constantly bombarded with information. Images and videos would be of high quality so as to retain the attention of the user. Also, instead of relying only on images and video posts, interactive formats like polls, quizzes, and live Q&A sessions should also be explored to foster user engagement. Livestream shopping where hosts showcase products in real-time and answer questions related to it are extremely helpful in connecting with audiences at a deeper level and enhancing brand loyalty.
- Collaborating With Influencers
Influencers help humanise a brand and add to its authenticity. Brands can leverage the targeted audiences of influencers to drive awareness for their products and services. When influencers endorse a product or service, it becomes more relatable and trustworthy and drives conversions.
- Mobile Optimisation
Since the majority of social media users rely on mobile to scroll through their feeds, optimising for smartphones is no longer an option, it is a necessity. A seamless mobile experience ranging from mobile-friendly content and quick page load times to easy navigation, facilitates a hassle free user experience that improves conversion rates. Also, incorporating high-quality visuals alongside limiting the number of steps that a user has to take to complete the transaction process works wonders in streamlining the purchase process driving more sales.
- Leveraging Data Analytics
Almost all social platforms have inbuilt analytics that help track customer behaviour and comprehend which content resonates well with the target audience and which doesn’t. The insights drawn from analytics can help track customer behaviour and identify trends to drive more effective campaigns. Brands can create more personalised experiences for their customers with detailed data on engagement, demographics and purchasing behaviour.
The Benefits Of Integrating In-Feed Shopping Into E-commerce
- Seamless Integration – In-feed shopping reduces friction in the purchasing process, and allows users to stay on the platform they are already using without redirecting them to external websites, reducing the abandonment rates and improving conversions. The seamless integration between content and commerce facilitates the buying experience right in the user’s feed.
- Capitalises On Impulse Buying – The modern consumers want instant gratification, They hate it when they have to leave the app that they are engaging on and take additional steps to complete a transaction. In-feed shopping entails shoppable posts where a product’s video or image can be clicked on and purchased seamlessly. This streamlined process capitalises on impulse buying and fosters better conversions.
- Enhanced Product Discovery – Unlike traditional marketing, in-feed shopping transcends in-market audiences and helps tap into the consumer segment who is not actively looking for a product or service. Since products and services are embedded in the content that users are already consuming while scrolling through their feeds, this process promotes organic visibility and drives swift purchase decisions.
- Better Customer Engagement – Brands can enhance customer engagement by capitalising on the visual appeal of social media and presenting their products and services in a more lifestyle-oriented manner through shoppable posts, ads and stories. This makes the shopping process more integrated and bridges the emotional gap between the consumer and the brand, which subsequently increases the likelihood of conversion.
The author is co-founder and chief strategy officer, AdCounty Media
(Views expressed are the author’s own and not necessarily those of financialexpress.com)