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What is the safest place to hide a body?
The second page of Google.
I know what you're probably thinking; "haha, very funny." Sarcasm detected. But after reading Chapter 5, "I care more about what my neighbor thinks then what Google thinks," of Socialnomics, you might realize how "punny" it actually is.
The Socialnomics text states that, “social commerce harnesses the simple idea that people value the opinions of other people.”
In an article about the rise of social commerce, HubSpot discusses how “ecommerce” was the go-to tactic for increasing brand awareness, finding new customers, and boosting sales. Caroline Forsey writes “the average daily social media use of internet users worldwide amounts to 136 minutes per day.” I personally think Apple put into perspective our social media use by allowing us to view our ‘screen time’. But that's besides the point. She continues, “With all that social media consumption, it makes sense that more businesses are turning to social media to market to their audiences.” Both the article and the book, touch on the simple truth of our generation; more and more people are turning to social media for product recommendations and reviews. More specifically, many of us are turning to our friends as well as who we are connected to through these social media apps for feedback. In turn, this encourages the dynamic growth of social commerce.
Referring back to the article from HubSpot, Forsey poses the idea that "one of the best examples of social commerce is the ability to click a product and checkout right from within a social media site."
Take a look at this photo. What is the first thing you notice?
Most people might say the products themselves in the picture. Some might first notice the aesthetically pleasing arrangement of the products. Others eyes might first be drawn to the actual brand, or the caption itself. But what I want my readers to take particular notice to (if you haven't already done so), is the "buttons" or "links" in the photo.
"View products"
Take a minute to think about these questions:
- Have you ever came across a post with such buttons/links?
- On which social media platforms have you encountered such buttons/links?
- Have you ever utilized these buttons/links?
- What is the significance of these buttons/links?
This is exact kind of social commerce Forsey was talking about. In 2018, Instagram released a "checkout" feature on their app, which allows you to click on a product within a post, choose a size and color, and proceed to payment within the platform. Other social media platforms that utilize this is Facebook and Pinterest. These platforms are making it that much easier to buy the products. All you do is simply enter your name, email, billing information, and shipping address. Once the order is complete, these platforms save your information so you don't need to enter it next time you shop.
To make it even better? You then receive notifications about shipping and delivery right from within the app, so you can also track your purchase without leaving the app. Convenient right?
According to socialcommercetoday.com, as of a year ago, social commerce was supposed to be the future. But in just a short period of time, "the future has become today" and social commerce has transformed and taken a new form -- with much projected growth.
With that being say, social commerce offers a real opportunity for retailers to shorten the path to purchase for customers. And customers seem to be "feeding" into it. (Haha, pun intended).
I personally have never used these links/buttons which help make purchasing easier. I honestly never really understood the purpose of it or how it worked. After reading and some further research, I have realized the significance of social commerce and realized how it benefits not only the customers, but also the brands and companies themselves.
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