Our day-to-day shopping has changed completely ever since Covid-19. The push towards online shopping through the digitalisation of every service has revolutionised the way we interact with our surroundings. First, it was online shops like Amazon, Flipkart, Alibaba, then came quick commerce websites like Zepto & Blinkit and now we have Social Commerce. An industry which is predicted to cross $2 trillions by the end of 2025.
But what exactly is Social Commerce? How is it different from E-commerce & what exactly is the reason behind its popularity? This blog will cover these questions & let you know some real-life examples alongside how businesses like yours can take advantage of it.
What is Social Commerce?
Social commerce is all about buying and selling products or services directly through social media platforms. It’s a seamless experience where users can discover, engage with, and purchase items without ever leaving the app or interrupting their doom scrolling sessions.
- How It Looks in Action: Remember those product carousels that you often see while scrolling through Instagram.
- Why It’s Unique: Social commerce has combined social media scrolling with online browsing. Encouraging their customers to willingly browse their products during leisure time without leaving the platform.
This integration has evolved since Yahoo! introduced it in 2005 with shared pick lists, growing into today’s shoppable posts and live shopping features.
How Does Social Commerce Work?
Unlike traditional e-commerce, which often sends you to a separate website, social commerce keeps everything within the social media apps. Here’s how it works:
Consumer’s Viewpoint:
- Product Discovery: Spot products via posts, stories, or ads.
- Engagement: Like, comment, share, or tag friends or check comments for reviews.
- Seamless Checkout: Purchases are complete in-app, often with one-click options.
- Post-Purchase: Track orders and get support right through the app.
Seller’s Viewpoint:
- Set Up a Shop: Create stores on platforms like Instagram or Facebook Shops by setting up a profile.
- Create Content: Post eye-catching images or videos to grab attention & break their scrolling cycle.
- Engage Customers: Reply to comments and messages to build trust & authenticity.
- Track Analytics: Use platform tools to tweak strategies and boost sales & even manage ads properly.
This streamlined process cuts out extra steps, making shopping faster and more intuitive than traditional e-commerce.
Why is Social Commerce Popular?
Social commerce has gained a massive worldwide popularity & here’s why:
- Convenience: People can shop right through their feed without having to visit a specific website for it.
- Engagement: Interactive features like live shopping and shoppable posts enhance user experience. Reaching over 130 million monthly engagements on Instagram alone.
- Trust: 61% of internet users trust micro-influencers more for product reviews, leveraging social proof.
- Personalisation: The algorithm tailors product suggestions based on the user’s preferences & interaction history.
With the Gen-Z & Millennials dominating the majority of the social media crowd, social commerce became an instant hit due to its quick, convenient & easy check-out features.
Best Practices of Social Commerce for Businesses
There’s no one way road to building a customer base on social media platforms for social commerce. But regardless, here are some of the best strategies that worked for our clients:
1. Choosing the Right Social Commerce Platform:
There are many social commerce platforms that you can choose from, but deciding which one best fits your products or services depends on where your target audience is in larger quantities.
2. Create Engaging Content:
Your posts, pictures & videos need to be of high quality & entertaining to watch. Amidst the enormous sea of contents, yours needs to be catchy enough to entice your customers. Do not forget to include a clear call to action as well.
3. Affiliate with Influencers:
Affiliate marketing has been in trend for a couple of years & isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future. Consider affiliate marketing with micro-influencers to get word-of-mouth across their audience. Even among influencers, people trust the words of people who they can relate to.
4. Host Live Shopping Events:
Host live product launch events & streams to showcase your products in real time. As a new & emerging social commerce trend in 2025, live-streams have shown to increase overall engagement with the customer base.
5. Leverage Analytics:
Track what works and refine your approach with platform insights. Marketing automation can save time and make campaigns more effective & efficient.
Real-World Case Studies
Here’s an unexpected twist: the social commerce industry is exploding, projected to hit over $2 trillion by 2025. Case studies show it’s not just hype, it’s delivering results:
- MAM: This baby products brand used user-generated content (UGC) via Bazaarvoice to create shoppable galleries, spiking engagement and sales.
- Zimba: A teeth-whitening company saw a 6.7% higher average order value through social commerce on Facebook and Instagram compared to their website.
Conclusion
Evidence shows that Social Commerce has been changing tides of online shopping. This leads us to predict that businesses & trends will soon opt towards integrated, social driven shopping experience. The evidence also leans toward continued expansion, driven by platform innovations and consumer preferences for convenience and engagement.