How social media drives e-commerce (and how brands can benefit)

Rytis Lauris is a co -founder and CEO of OmnicA marketing automation platform for e-commerce.

Social media has developed into a critical channel to establish trends, contribute to product and brand discovery and influence purchase decisions. Although the social commerce approaches the way to become an independent channel, it is not entirely developed and creates a necessary interaction between social platforms and traditional e-commerce websites. Let us examine how social media redefines e-commerce and how brands can adapt to the new reality.

The role of social media in product discovery

Social -Media platforms prioritize appealing, visually convincing content, which makes it natural adaptation to the product discovery. While users scroll through their feeds, mix sponsored contributions and trend content with organic content and expose users to brands and products, even if they are not actively looking for it. It works: 59% of the consumers stated that they discovered new products unintentionally on Tikok.

In contrast to conventional methods to sensitize the brands such as SEO or advertising, social platforms such as Tikok brands offer an abbreviation for visibility. The products shown in social media videos can quickly become viral and create a wave effect of user-generated content and trend hashtags. This can lead to an exponential range, whereby users share videos, reviews and creative rotations for the product. For brands, this form of product discovery can lead to persistent interest and sales.

However, discovering products and buying products on social media does not rule out each other. The expectation of consumers who buy directly via platforms such as Tikok Shop must shift in the buying behavior of consumers. While it is developing, it is not yet mainstream. Here the social commerce needs a helping hand.

The importance of a cross channel strategy

Although the product discovery takes place on social platforms, many users still turn to third -party websites like Amazon to complete their purchases. Almost 60% were bought on another website by consumers who discovered products on Tikok, mainly due to a lack of trust and familiarity with the purchase of social websites. The interaction between platforms such as Tikok and Amazon underlines how social media acts as a discovery engine, while traditional e-commerce websites remain the goal of fulfillment.

This behavior underlines the importance of optimizing cross-channel strategies to maximize first sales and repeat sales. For brands, it is important to monitor social trends and ensure that relevant products are listed on their website, Amazon and other marketplaces that contain optimized keywords and visuals to record targeted search queries from users that are looking for products they have discovered social platforms.

So they generate regular customers

Since consumers who discover products on social media often occur in the product compared to a brand, companies are also faced with the challenge of generating repeated sales. After all, it is not the brand in which you initially found value, but the product. As a result, companies may have difficulty creating regular customers via social platforms, and forcing them to continue to spend on advertisements in order to attract the same customer and create an infinite cycle.

In order to overcome this restriction, I recommend brands to concentrate on building marketingists such as email and SMS in order to build direct relationships with customers. When consumers navigate from social media to e-commerce websites, the capture of customer data during or after the first sale enables brands to market directly to buyers and increase the repetition purchases through personalized email and SMS campaigns.

In addition, brands can use the search function of social platforms to actively target users who are actively looking for their products. By creating verifiable videos such as tutorials and reviews that highlight the advantages and functions of a product, brands may be able to use high -quality buyers.

Finally, brands that are ready to stay agile and adapt to these developing trends have the opportunity to attract attention and influence sales. We may not know the next fashion trend or product, but I think there are almost certain social media platforms.

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