Have you ever closed an order at 2 am after surfing social media even though you didn't plan to buy anything? So maybe you have fallen into the "trap" of Social commerce without knowing it.

So what is social commerce and how can you make the most of this trend to grow your brand and business in the coming years?

What is social commerce?

Social commerce is a form of commerce that combines social networks (Social Media) and e-commerce (e-commerce). Specifically, when social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok ... become a method to promote and sell products/services directly.

Instead of marketing on social networking sites, paying fees to run ads, and driving traffic to websites, stores, and other sales channels, Social Commerce allows customers to learn and buy products right online. the society they often use. Customers see brands' products through ads, articles, Livestream, KOL / KOC ..., chat to receive advice, view products, order, and pay right in the chat box with the seller.

What is the difference between social commerce and eCommerce?

At the seminar "Customer Center In Social Commerce Era", 97% of Gen Z are considering Social Marketing as a reference for product/service information.

According to Statista (2022), the average Vietnamese spends 4 hours and 30 minutes on social networking platforms. Which, nearly a fifth of the population (19%) pays up to 7 hours a day checking accounts on social networks.

Therefore, Social commerce will be a suitable channel for businesses to reach this large and potential user audience to promote and promote sales for their products.

Increase your reach to potential customers

Social networks help brands become friendly, approachable, and accessible to consumers, allowing companies to expand markets for products and reach new customers.

A lot of users use social media as a tool to discover new products, inspiration, and different brands. So, instead of running ads to take users away from social networks, businesses are gradually turning to take advantage of Social commerce to stimulate users to shop and drive sales right where consumers spend the most.

Build user flow

In the buying process, each step is added and meticulously arranged to increase the customer's ability to decide to "close the order".

It is easy to see that the longer users use social networking platforms, the more opportunities users have to interact, whether directly (paid ads) or indirectly (through discussion, referrals from friends, acquaintances ...) for products and brands. What follows will be a seamless experience from accessing the product, and shopping experience (reviewer) to providing direct purchase options with just one click. Users can complete their purchases while on the platform, minimizing the possibility of confusion, cart abandonment, or comparative research.

The smooth and fast shopping experience from Social commerce helps to increase the reach of your target customers, improve purchase confidence, increase conversion rates and help businesses sell more products.

Emotions "create" revenue

Users' buying tendencies largely depend on their emotions at the time, they like to be connected, like to have fun, and Social Commerce channels let them feel this.

Search engines like Google used to be at the top, but now only account for about 52%, because users are gradually turning to search on the search bars of social networks like Facebook, TikTok... more. The share of images/videos of social marketing is growing at about 54-55%.

Users can go to the fanpage and find other customers with the same interests - needs and may have used the brand's product and share their experiences. Thus, purchasing decisions will be made easier and people will quickly make purchasing decisions for products that do not know anyone has used or experienced yet.

Social commerce trends in 2023

Overcoming the limitations of the product experience of e-Commerce channels, a Shoppertainment strategy (shopping combined with entertainment) with a variety of activities from Livestream, TikTok challenge, and actual product reviews... on Social Commerce channels will solve the problem of trust in consumers.

A short video comes into the trend

Short, engaging, and straight to the point are the strengths of short videos. According to the modern trend, users are increasingly busy and they will turn to videos or not pay enough attention to video content with long, unattractive content or not straight to the point. And the ideal time for these videos is from 15-30 seconds, the maximum is under 1 minute and 30 seconds. Short videos with high interaction combined with short, catchy music are the "viral marketing" formula of the present time.

Micro influencer - small but mighty

There is no doubt about the countless practical benefits that Celeb, KOLs can bring to branding. However, small and medium-sized businesses with a low budget for marketing can consider choosing a micro-influencer if they want to achieve performance goals. With organic engagement forms, micro-influencers generate a good conversion rate despite having a low number of followers.

Besides, because the cost of booking micro-influencers is usually low, brands have the opportunity to expand their network of cooperation with more influencers.

Enhance User Experience with Chatbots

Using chatbots is one of the best ways to make use of Social commerce so that users can find and buy products more conveniently based on just a few essential pieces of information.

You can also create a variety of chatbots for different purposes and scenarios such as order tracking, Answering FAQs, or generating more leads.

Conclusion

Social commerce allows brands to create a comfortable shopping experience and reach consumers where they spend the most time.

With the current rapid growth rate, social commerce is a market with many opportunities for brands and businesses to make the most of the boom of e-commerce and create many opportunities to drive sales.

If you need more advice, we're always here: hello@wearetopgroup.com
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