What Is Social Commerce And How Does It Work?

Why Should You Care About Social Commerce?

Social commerce is the next big thing. Social commerce means big money opportunities for businesses. Social commerce can provide a whole new level of exposure and revenue for those who engage in ecommerce. Furthermore, social commerce is also highly beneficial for customers.

So what is social commerce? A basic definition could be listed as follows “means by which social networking platforms provide ecommerce functionality to their users”. Have you ever noticed the Facebook marketplace? Or the Twitter sponsored tweets? What about the Pinterest buyable pins or the Instagram shoppable feed? These are all examples of social commerce.

Traditional ecommerce involves browsing a site such as Amazon and making a direct purchase. Social commerce changes this process and allows you instead to buy Amazon products through Facebook for example.

Some social networking platforms team up with well-known businesses such as eBay to offer deals and promotions, whilst others simply provide users with the means to sell through their platform. Whichever method they choose, there is no denying that social commerce is a fantastic form of business.

Social commerce combines the functionality and ease of use of ecommerce together with the popularity and huge audience of social networking sites. This is a natural combination and it is easy to see why this combination proves to be so lucrative.

Millions of people have Facebook and Twitter accounts. Most of them use some form of social networking platform on a daily basis. Where else can you get that type of exposure? By using social commerce, a business can potentially improve their revenue and appeal to a much wider audience.

For customers, social commerce presents a convenient form of online shopping. Furthermore, by investing in a brand through social media, a customer will often benefit from discounts and exclusive products and information.

The infographic below provides a host of detailed statistics relating to the growth and use of social commerce:

You will find the original article and infographic at 16best.net.