We don’t reveal a big secret by saying that online commerce is constantly changing and coming up with new solutions. And the hardworking advertiser pays all his attention to keeping up with new trends. Just when you thought your e–commerce strategy was on track, a new paradigm appears in the sky!
In 2020, community e–commerce started – yes, it’s you, Facebook Shop – and at the same time we have started implementing the new model.
However, before we get into the subject, let’s look at what community e–commerce is all about.
The difference between social e–commerce and traditional e-commerce is that while in the traditional case the sale takes place on the website, in community e-commerce the user can buy the product directly on the social media platform.
What are the benefits of community e–commerce?
Arguably, the biggest positive is that users no longer have to leave the social platform to shop: they can go through the process without interruption and scroll through the interface after it is finished. The feature is most popular among younger people aged between 18 and 34.
Not surprisingly, community stores are mostly used by department stores, resellers, and beauty brands.
What are the best social e–commerce platforms?
Instagram and Facebook Shop
With the introduction of product stickers, Instagram has already been embedded in social e–commerce, but they haven’t stopped here to slice out features. By creating the Instagram Shop, users can now visit the shop from the brand page, News Feed, or stories.
Since features are generally broadened on Facebook and Instagram platforms in parallel, social e–commerce innovations are very much the same. The same concept is included in Facebook as Instagram just described.
Pinterest Shop
The two options above seem to be the evident choice, but Pinterest can also be exciting for many brands, as 83% of platform users bought products after meeting the brand on the interface.
Tips and tricks to improve the efficiency of community e–commerce
A platform for lower–priced products
If the aim is to sell luxury products or high–end appliances, it is unlikely that the activity will have the same effect as for lower–priced resellers.
Internationally, the lower the price of the product, the better the sales rates on social platforms.
There are two reasons for this: on the one hand, the classic “I’ll try it before I buy it” attitude and, on the other hand, the fact that it will take some time for community e–commerce to become a widely accepted shopping platform. For the time being, there is still some skepticism on the part of users. However, it is important that by the time these changes, we are at the forefront of our brand and up to date with new trends.
If we offer a product that can be divided into multiple price categories, it’s a good idea to 50% of your advertising costs to promote lower–priced products.
Don’t forget to ask the user for an e–mail address at the time of purchase so that we can sell more (up–sell) later!
We integrate community e–commerce into our e–commerce platform!
Integrating data across platforms is also important because if you change, for example, the product catalog, it’s important that all changes are synchronized across all active platforms that support sales.
Some e–commerce platforms already have integrations with joint stores. If you are working with someone that doesn’t have one, here are some tools you can use:
In the case of the Instagram Shop, Shop Social can help us, while in the Facebook Shop, for example, StoreYa.
Let’s partner with Influencers.
Influencer marketing has been around for some time now and for now, it seems to be staying for quite some time.
One of the biggest advantages of Community e–commerce is that the use of influencers becomes extremely simple. On Instagram, for example, they can use product stickers to direct users directly to that brand’s store.
This means that the product support process takes even fewer steps, leading to a smoother and smoother shopping experience from a user point of view.
In summary, therefore, with many social media platforms adapting the commercial model, e–commerce has never been easier and is so popular.
It is clear that community e–commerce is still in the process of arc, so there is only one question left to end:
Do you want to jump on board with your brand, or do you hesitate until you’re behind?
