Social Commerce is one of the biggest buzzwords going around right now in the e-retail / Ecommerce space. Sales and marketing which is conducted entirely on a social media environment is starting to interest everyone who has a shop and a social presence.
There currently is a predicted annual growth rate for social commerce projected at 39% and it is starting to represent an awesome opportunity for many companies. If you are the kind of business which has pivoted into digital commerce more and more over the last 3-5 years, this is sure to interest you! Ecommerce inventory management like Order Time can give you the integrations necessary to completely utilize this type of a strategy. Social commerce would be the next step in your journey to a complete Ecommerce ecosystem.
What is social commerce?
Social commerce is an integral blend of social media and Ecommerce. It is also known as social media commerce, and users can purchase goods or services directly from social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat, and more! Traditional sales cycles get to the conversation between the consumer during a quoting phase, but social media has the power to begin the conversation immediately on a new post. Customers will see the product or service, learn more about it, comment on it, and purchase it without ever even leaving the app of their choice!
It's increasingly becoming a major part of marketing-driven revenue for medium and enterprise-level businesses. This is also becoming a sales channel to reach out to middle-aged and younger audiences which have no qualms with purchasing products directly from a 3rd party app.
How does social commerce operate?
Some of the largest social media networks on the Internet such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat and Pinterest have shopping cart features now available. Right inside their app you can set up a digital sales channel and create storefront. If you turn on Instagram Shopping you can host a Shop right on your profile that your users can browse to find any number of products that you are selling instantly. Since everything resides on the social media platform you have a variety of additional features including: sharing, commenting, and liking a product. They can also bookmark it for later on most apps and send it in a Direct Message to other users. This is the strongest element of social commerce, the ability to discuss products and share them with you family and friends very quickly.
I already have an Ecommerce presence, how can I get the most out of social commerce?
Most of the major Ecommerce platforms have the ability to connect to or integrate with social commerce sales channels. Shopify for example can connect to Facebook Shops, Instagram Shopping and more right out of the box. This way you can utilize the products you've already added and listed without wasting additional time doing manual product entry.
Here is a Facebook Shop example straight from Shopify:
- You can display your Shopify products on your Facebook Page by using the Facebook Shop feature in the Facebook channel.
- When you set up the Facebook Shop feature, Facebook creates a Shop section on your Facebook Page. Your Shopify products are displayed in the Shop section so that customers can shop on your Facebook page. If you make changes to a product in Shopify, then the changes are also updated in your Facebook Shop.
Here is their info on Instagram Shopping:
- You can sell your products on Instagram by using the Instagram Shopping feature in the Facebook channel. Instagram Shopping creates a shop on your Instagram profile and lets you tag your products in posts and stories. Customers can select View Shop on your Instagram profile to view all of your products in Instagram. Customers can also click on posts to view a tagged product, and then select View on Website to make a purchase on your online store.
- If a customer clicks a product listed on Instagram to view it and make a purchase, then the order is listed as referred by Instagram.
- Facebook Shops allows you to make your BigCommerce store’s catalog available on your Facebook business page so users can easily discover your products, share them with friends, and check out right on Facebook. Orders from Facebook are managed from BigCommerce just like storefront orders.
- Facebook has over 1 billion active users every month and is the largest social network in the world. Users spend an average of 50 minutes a day using its services. The sheer size of the network — coupled with the level of engagement by its users — makes it an ideal marketplace to promote your products and raise brand awareness.
Using Social Commerce with Order Time Inventory
Order Time Inventory already connects to all your favorite Ecommerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, WooCommerce, Volusion, and 3dcart. By connecting your Ecommerce solution to your social commerce and then connecting to Order Time, orders will flow in just like you'd expect them to from any other channel. Then you can manage your inventory, fulfill orders swiftly and have robust reporting. Order Time becomes the central hub where you can view everything efficiently without having to check each channel separately. If you're interested in having a demo to learn more, choose a time from the widget below and we can have a quick meeting to discuss all of the options.
Next Steps
To learn more about Order Time and how it can transform your small to mid-sized business, click here.
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