Many ask, ‘is social shopping the same as social commerce’?.
Is Social Shopping the Same as Social Commerce?
Is social shopping the same as social commerce?
So here is their direct difference:
- Social shopping is what people (or users) do.
- Social commerce is what retailers (or online sellers) offer.
If you want to improve your brand in e-commerce, social commerce is the way to go. In the same way, offering an ultimate social shopping experience to your customers is the best way to stay ahead of the competition.
How to Use Social Shopping to Improve Ecommerce
Don’t worry, though. Getting involved in social shopping is not that hard. More so, if you are already on social media, a few tweaks are only needed to get your way.
So here, below, we will be listing few tips for you to get going.
1. Know Your Online Reputation
First of all, know how your users view you. Aim to know what and how people speak of you. For instance, look for and see mentions of your brand.
For example:
- Use Twitter. Twitter is one of today’s leading social media platforms for product discovery. So try searching for your brand with a hashtag. More so, hashtags allow you to see brand mentions even when the user did not directly tag or mention your brand.
- Search through Google. Google is by far today’s most popular search engine. So you can use it to see how various platforms see your brand.
2. Engage with your Users through Social Media
User engagement is now easier with social media platforms. Not to mention you can even connect with them more than posts and ads. Because you can connect and engage with them live.
For example, many benefit from using Facebook and Instagram live chat. This way, you can create real connections with your users. Thus, it also enhances your customer’s loyalty and attachment with your brand.
3. Use User-Generated Content (UGC)
Using content from users is one effective way to put marketing in focus for your customers. You can do this by showcasing customer photos wearing, using, or featuring your brand’s clothes or products.
Moreover, reports show that using UGC is 50% more trusted than any other content used in advertising.
What’s more, your users surely love to be featured. This way, you can encourage more organic mentions and shares.
4. Build a Strategic Social Media Strategy
Social media contains increasingly rising competition within. This is why being on the platform is not enough.
So if you are investing in social commerce, you need a social media strategy with clearly defined goals. Perhaps, answer the following key questions and put them into a documented strategy. For example:
- What are the differences between each platform?
- What are your goals?
- Which platform can bring you closer to your target customers?
- How will you measure your success?
5. Focus on Mobile
Most of today’s users are on their smartphones most of the time. In fact, 80% of respondents in a survey state they grab their smartphone within 15 minutes of waking up. This tells the need to focus on mobile strategies in eCommerce.