Social media continues to be a force worldwide but especially for businesses.
If you are a business owner in Kenya who often asks what is the meaning and key benefits of social commerce? Then you have come to the right space.
As interactive social networks continue to take over the world, they are increasingly impacting how customers behave online.
This has led to the integration of e-commerce and social media platforms to birth social commerce.
As a seller, you do not want to be left behind. But first, what is social commerce?
Social commerce is a term that was first coined in 2005. Hootsuite describes social commerce as the process of selling products and services directly through social media.
In this article, we explore some of the benefits of social commerce and provide statistics that demonstrate its effectiveness.
Some examples of the leading social commerce platforms in Kenya and the world are also presented.
Let’s get started.
Register your business on the leading social commerce platform in Kenya
Contents
Increase Your Business’ Sales
This is one of the most significant benefits of social commerce.
By streamlining the purchase process, social commerce platforms remove unnecessary steps and allow your customer to buy directly through the platform.
Social media platforms offer your business a large and engaged audience to showcase its products and services.
Your business can reach new customers because most social commerce platforms are built to be mobile-friendly.
Instagram is an example of a social media platform that has integrated social commerce.
With over 1 billion active users, your business is exposed to a variety of people most could be potential customers.
Through your visually appealing product images shared on Instagram, customers are likely to engage with your product which might lead to a sale.
Increase Your Customer Engagement
One of the top benefits of social commerce is that it provides you with an opportunity to engage with your customers on a more personal level.
Most social networks offer two-way communication.
Which means your customers can directly interact with your business.
If they have an inquiry, complaint, or compliment, they can reach you through the social network’s direct line of communication.
According to a survey report by Sprout Social, 68% of consumers agreed that social media enables them to interact with brands and companies.
By responding to customer inquiries and complaints on social media, your brand can improve its customer service and build brand loyalty.
Reviews, ratings, and referrals always influence customers’ purchasing decisions.
You want to make sure that new customers discovering your brand can observe an open communication line with you if they had any inquiries.
Increased engagement also helps with search rankings and helps your business become easily discoverable for the products or services you are offering.
This is one of the benefits of social commerce that should drive you to get started.
Affordably Promote Your Products
Compared to traditional advertising methods, one of the benefits of social commerce is that it is cheaper and more effective.
Also, traditional methods usually have limited audiences.
Social commerce provides an affordable way for brands to market their products.
The options provided by social commerce for promoting your business are endless.
Through social media, you could work with influencers for an online campaign, run social media ads, use branded hashtags, email marketing and ranking on search engines, etc.
There are different social commerce strategies that you can tailor for different audiences and increase the reach of your business.
Did you know that Nike is one of the most popular social media brands globally? And to add this, the brand manages over 300 social media profiles related to its products.
They have fully embraced the power of social media which sets them apart from competitors like Adidas.
This should show you as a business owner that social commerce can be a driving force in your business.
Personalize Your Customers’ Shopping Experiences
If you would like to get to know more about your customers, then social commerce should be in your mind.
Understand more of what they prefer and how they behave when shopping for your products through the benefits of social commerce.
Different social commerce tools and resources are used to analyze data and insights into your audience.
You can use this information to target ads and promotions and tailor your brand message.
Social commerce allows brands to provide personalized shopping experiences to their customers.
By leveraging customer data, brands can create targeted ads and promotions that tailor to the preferences and behaviors of their customers.
According to a report by Accenture, 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that provide personalized offers and recommendations.
For example, if you notice one of your products is more popular among customers, you can stock more of it.
You can also use this product to drive sales to your other products by attaching it to packages, discounts, and offers.
To conclude, it is clear that for your business to experience the benefits of social commerce, the time is NOW!
The benefits of social commerce extend beyond marketing and sales; it also offers valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors.
As social commerce continues to evolve, brands that embrace this business model will be well-positioned to succeed in the digital marketplace.
In the coming articles, we will discuss the challenges and limitations of social commerce and how your business can approach them.
We will keep you updated on trends in social commerce so your business can take full advantage of the benefits of social commerce.
Explore the benefits of social commerce in Kenya for growing your business by registering on Twiva at www.twiva.co.ke
Penned by Lydia Mwende.
Lydia is the Social Media & Community Manager at Twila. She enjoys reading, writing and watching films.