One click is all it takes to start a conversation between a customer and your brand. Social media shopping is expected to soar in popularity in the coming years, providing new opportunities for smaller businesses.
It is simple to reach a broader spectrum of clients thanks to social shopping, which connects the online culture and eCommerce sectors. Moreover, social shopping has allowed companies to show how their reach affects their sales and bottom line.
This article will cover the definition of social media shopping, its importance to brands, and industry forecasts for social shopping in 2022.
What is social shopping?
Online shopping and social media come together as social shopping. Users can make purchases or visit a product website using social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
By using techniques like interactive content, messaging, and group buying, social media platforms simulate the in-person experience of shopping in actual malls and stores.
Every customer interaction with a business, from brand discovery and engagement to actual purchase, is centralised through social shopping. In doing so, you may easily convert browsers into customers by meeting them where they are.
What social media shopping does for brands
Social shopping benefits both brands and customers. Buying does not need to be a different event. In many cases, customers can purchase without leaving their preferred platform.
Social media accessibility and dialogue options help both the consumer and the brand. Other benefits include:
- You can incorporate social proof into campaigns. One of the essential factors in purchase decisions is customer reviews. Thanks to social shopping, customers may purchase your product and provide genuine comments all in one spot. You may include this social evidence in your upcoming marketing activities for increased credibility.
- Decreasing friction boosts conversions. Customers can purchase from a brand without leaving the convenience of their homes or businesses or interacting with several salespeople. They also don’t need to leave the social networking site they are already using. Customers can browse a product page and proceed to checkout in just a few clicks.
- You’ll have more information about what works. The more time consumers spend on social and buy from it, the more social becomes a treasure trove of information about your target demographic. You can swiftly gather meaningful data to serve your consumers with the appropriate solution better.
Where consumers buy on social
Interacting with peers, companies, and creators on social media has transformed it into a virtual mall where shoppers can chat as they spend. The more time consumers spend looking, just like in a real mall, the more likely they will buy something.
Consumers anticipate conducting their online purchases in 2022 using the most familiar channels. Baby Boomers expect to increase their Facebook purchases, while Gen Z consumers, who have grown up with technology, are most enthusiastic about visual social networks like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.
Men hope they’ll discover their next must-have on Twitter and Twitch, while women eagerly anticipate clicking “Submit Order” on TikTok or Pinterest.
How social shoppers find the perfect product
Consumers use social media as a trusted advisor, similar to how they would utilise Google or a friend’s recommendation before purchasing from a physical store or a traditional e-commerce vendor.
As part of their research, before making a purchase, they may visit Instagram or Reddit to learn more about a business or product or check out recommendations from their current networks.
Even more so, brands help shoppers find all of the necessary things. More consumers discover a business that sells a product directly than they do through peers, influencers, or their studies. While well-targeted ads are effective, natural posts can have a significant impact.
What influences consumer buying behaviour
Customers who shop on social media still ask their peers for advice before making a choice. Friends are the most important influences for consumers between 18 and 40, with influencers coming in second.
During the pandemic lockdowns, parasocial interactions among Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X peaked, and consumers now trust influencers the same way they do their friends. Baby Boomers who haven’t embraced influencers as much put the most faith in their relatives and family.
Trust is a potent incentive, whether from a friend’s recommendation or an influencer post. The weakest influence on a consumer’s decision to purchase a product comes from crowdsourced comments or product reviews from strangers, which a lack of established trust may explain.
Shoppers also value inclusivity, with 60% saying they are more inclined to purchase from a company that uses it in its marketing. That could entail including various racial, ethnic, or gender identities in their feeds and advertisements.
These online consumers want the variety of their local communities to be reflected in their online networks. In addition, young consumers place a high value on inclusivity, with 73% of Gen Z and 72% of Millennials mentioning it as a deciding factor when making a purchase.
Features primarily used in social media shopping
As 2022 approaches, social shoppers are becoming more involved in their online communities and utilising new platform capabilities. The various methods your clients interact with you offer an insight into how their search for and purchase of products progresses.
The most popular platform feature is live streaming, which is also a strong indicator of who would buy on social media. 71% of those who watch live streams have made a social purchase, and 48% want to make additional purchases in 2022, thanks to in-platform shopping options.
However, the effect depends on your audience. Compared to only 44% of Gen Zers, more than half of Gen X shoppers (61%) anticipate watching live video in the upcoming year.
In 2022, a streamlined in-platform purchasing experience will be crucial because 45% of consumers are eager to purchase directly from their preferred platforms. While 52% of Gen Z members are ready to make a purchase using this feature, everyone is looking forward to a faster discovery and shopping process.
The future of social commerce
With 68% of shoppers making at least one purchase directly from social media in 2021, the future of social commerce is already here. Shoppers are turning to Facebook Shops, TikTok shopping, and Instagram shopping to increase their local purchasing choices or engage in virtual communities to buy across borders.
And social buying isn’t slowing down; in 2022, 98% of consumers plan to make at least one purchase via social shopping or influencer commerce.
Final Thoughts
Consumers continue to desire more straightforward, luxurious, and speedier purchasing options. Social shopping meets all three criteria and is essential to any omnichannel strategy. With customer tastes changing rapidly, the chance to sell via their digital comfort zones is unrivalled. As a result, brands that embrace social media are poised to outperform their competitors in 2022 and beyond.
