Driven by Gen Z and Millennials, social commerce is expected to grow three times faster than traditional e-commerce and reach $1.2 trillion by 2025.
This comes as no surprise to experts. #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, a viral hashtag and phenomenon, boasts his 28.6 billion views, including ads, influencer content, and reviews. This effort has skyrocketed the popularity of brands like CeraVe, The Pink Stuff, and elf Cosmetics, and sold out items like Revlon’s One Step His hair dryer and his Lululemon belt.
Brands are looking ahead to new social platforms primarily used by Gen Z, such as photo-sharing apps that allow users to post one photo a day and let their followers see what they’re up to in real time. They are competing to enter. For example, Chipotle experimented with sharing coupon codes, and elf Cosmetics used her BeReal to show an “inside” look at their offices.
In other words, social commerce is no longer a proposition, but a key element of your e-commerce sales plan. A great social program can make or break your brand’s image and engagement. There’s a difference between doing it and doing it right.
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Here are three best practices for your social commerce strategy.
Know your audience and increase engagement
Harness the power of data to understand who your audience is. By knowing your audience (gender, age, location, preferences), you can create content that not only catches their eye but also drives sales.
You may know your audience, but your job isn’t done yet. You must always keep an eye on trends, influencers, and pop culture. For example, the social media rebrand of singer Harry Styles’ beauty company Pricing gained attention for targeting Gen Z consumers and pivoting to more “authentic” and trend-based content. . Users suspect that viral TikTok influencer (and friend of Meghan Trainor) Chris Olsen is running a brand page that is driving even more engagement.
This example illustrates the importance of not only knowing your audience, but also engaging with them appropriately to continue to grow loyalty and awareness. Messaging tools allow brands to address consumer concerns, feedback, and reviews.
Quick, smart, humorous, and inspiring responses show consumers that your company exists and is focused on the customer experience. Additionally, social media is a great way to provide customer service for concerns and issues. By responding quickly to resolution, you can keep customers coming back to your brand.
Stay up to date with new features
Social media constantly updates and releases new features to adapt to user behavior and desires. Instagram has been updated to focus on more video content using Reels. Facebook has adjusted its shopping features. TikTok changed its video length this year to allow for longer-form content and took over YouTube’s VidCon sponsorship. This is why these apps remain popular. Therefore, social presence and commerce must also embrace change and follow suit.
Shop-the-Look and Visual Discovery are great examples of new technologies that can drive customers to your website. Visual discovery lets customers see new ideas and complements Instagram’s 2022 Swipe Up feature for brands to inspire and drive sales. By testing which features work best for your brand, you can drive customers to your e-commerce site and increase your brand presence.
Provide quality content
The secret sauce that creates the perfect filling may surprise you. It sounds easy on paper, but if the product is good and you can shoot in high resolution, voila! Realistically, it’s your content that needs to provide value to your customers and encourage them to click through to your site or product.
Successful content varies from brand to brand. For example, language learning app Duolingo increased brand awareness by including its mascot in short trending videos and collaborating with other famous (and surprising) brands like Scrub Daddy .
They went from 500,000 followers to 2 million within 6 months. Other brands focus on telling stories and connecting emotionally with customers. Ulta openly supports social issues such as transgender rights and proudly sponsors influencer Dylan Mulvaney. This led to an explosion in brand loyalty, with users declaring that they would shop exclusively at Ulta this holiday season.
Social commerce is also a great way to create high-quality content that shows customers how to use, style, and experience your products. According to a 2021 Nielsen study, people say they find ads on TikTok more fun, real, honest, trustworthy, and authentic. The study also found that 60% of users feel a sense of community on TikTok.
Partnering with influencers can make your content feel more authentic and increase interest in click-throughs. Social commerce is an essential addition to any marketing strategy. This increases sales, increases traffic, improves brand image, and improves customer engagement. Opening your brand to current and new audiences and trends can help completely transform your business.
Zohar Gilad is the co-founder and CEO of Fast Simon..
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