What is Social Commerce? How does it work? Trends, Types & Platforms in India

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The world hails and lauds Social commerce!

Introduction: A skim through Social Commerce!

What is Social Commerce?

We might forget to achieve 10K steps but one will never forget to scroll through the social media we are signed in and check ‘what’s new in the market’. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and many more, are practically the widest part of digital marketing and are also used to raise awareness, generate more followers and audience, and massively advertise the product. It is only the next sensible step to sell the products on these platforms. These brand promotions appearing on the social media platforms right, left and center, along with the option to sell the products directly from these platforms is precisely the idea ‘social commerce’ conveys. How social commerce will come to life is now the question that will be addressed in a jiffy.

It’s forbidden to confuse Social commerce with E-commerce!

Social commerce has revolutionized the online shopping experience. What’s better than getting the best of both worlds, on one hand, consumers can discover and purchase the product directly from the social media platform with extended services of time-to-time communication via messaging apps of social media, Facebook Messenger in the case of Facebook. And on the other hand, users also get an uninterrupted social experience. Unlike e-commerce platforms, on social commerce, the process happens on social media entirely, from locating the desired product to contacting sellers to purchasing the product via social media directly. Social commerce asks for no intrusion while scrolling social media, contrary to the trait of e-commerce where users switch to an e-commerce platform to purchase the product that consumers have discovered from social media marketing.

Social commerce entered the market with the motive of providing a seamless experience to shoppers and putting together social media marketing amalgamated with generating sales to some sparkling use.

Social commerce working

How Does Social commerce work?

The working of social commerce is quite easy and maybe what seamless features look like. Monetizing the social media platform is now a quite known idea. However, social commerce is a step ahead in this way. Why only stop at making followers, when one can generate customers from user-friendly social media platforms? In light of this idea, social commerce allows the brands with captivating products that can impress the wandered on the social media platform and eventually stick around to purchase the product, just by displaying the picturesque display of the products and catchy captions covering all the unique features and price of that product.

Numerous shops are getting the hang of social commerce on different platforms. It is provided for the business to create and maintain a social shop within the preferred social media app and market its product via different means. Communication for any inquiry is easy here by using the social media’s messaging application or feature. In line with this, personalized interaction can be done even by an Artificial intelligence-based chatbox, this will entail a product specialist, personal concierge to the social and virtual shop, stylist, and consultant during the social and virtual shopping experience. The communication at these platforms is often quick and easy to decipher and leaves no loose ends for their customers on the product of interest.

Social media platforms rendering social commerce services

Top Social Commerce Platfroms that can turn Social into sale

The trick here is simple. If you need to find out the social media platforms that render the social commerce service the users just need to discover the platforms that grabs the most attention on the subject matter. Therefore, the most talked and used platforms for social commerce include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and many more.

How to Make Money Online with Social Shopping ?

All these social media platforms for social commerce activity require to set up a shop that is pretty much virtual but the immersive services they provide can make us believe otherwise, besides having an e-commerce website. The elements to add for the shop are as follows:

  1. First things first, select the customizable storefront for the concerned brand.
  2. Organize and maintain the catalog of the products according to the target audience.
  3. Do not shy away from adding more photos and features of the products up for sale.
  4. Customize the stock.
  5. Pensive selection of the showstopper products. Also add the features of the commodity with different fonts, color, size, etc.
  6. Try to hold the conversation with the customers and rope them to upcoming products and offers.
  7. Import the products via eCommerce website.
  8. Actively post and repost the feedback from the customers and the content for shoppable products.

Social Commerce In India

Future of Social Commerce Growth In India 2023

The practicality of social commerce in India is sky-rocketing. And the factors are booming day by day. The expanding digital ecosystem, along with the rapid purchase of smartphones and numerous data plans is impacting social commerce in India positively. Moreover the penetration of social media and the after the sudden outbreak of covid-19 the scenario of social commerce boomed manifold as the Indian population now plan on purchasing products online while having an uninterrupted social media experience.

Just to put this idea into perspective, Meesho is a paragon of social commerce in India. With robust growth of this online shop and the surprising valuation jump to $4.2 billion in September 2022 from $2.1billion in April 2021 is a statistical exhibit of its growth. Additionally, meesho has also raised approx. $570 million from F funding series. In line with this, many other big commerce companies, such as Flipkart, are changing their niche and giving competition to social commerce shops, including Meesho, GlowRoad, SimSim, and many more.

Social Media users expected to grow to 448 million in 2023 when it comes to online sales the trend is shifting from E-Commerce to Social Commerce, Expert says Social Commerce in India is expected to grow steadilly over forecast period, recording a Cagr of 62.4% during 2022 to 2028.

Top Social Commerce Platforms In India

  • Meesho – Meesho is based on assisted shopping model. The app empower women entrepreneurs and the reseller eco system to tier 2 cities. It starts through sharing a product through Whatsapp & Instagram, the customers places an order and meesho deliver it.
  • Trell – This Social Commerce platform lets users purchase products based on video content made by content creators. It has over 50 milion monthly active users.
  • Myntra – The E- Commerce has increased there Social Commerce investment with the launch of “style squad”, in addition to M-Live & Myntra Studio. Content Creators partner with myntra to derived content led commerce.
  • Moj – Moj has joined hands with flipkart it helps consumer to buy flipkart tagged products directly from video screen. It has over 160 million users.

Conclusion

Here social commerce is giving the customer a seamless and nonchalant experience of buying products from the social media platform and it can be the start of something revolutionary.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) On Social Commerce

Ques 1. What are the Top Social Commerce Platforms ?

Ans 1. The Top Social Commerce Platforms are:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Twitch
  • Taggshop
  • Snapchat
  • Youtube
  • Wechat
  • Meesho

Ques 2. What are the Six Pillars Of Social Commerce?

Ans 2. The Six Pillars Of Social Commerce are:

  • Buyers community (GDGT)
  • Group buying (Groupon, Living social)
  • Purchase sharing (JustBoughtIt)
  • Curation (Polyvore, Pinterest)
  • Social advice (Fashism)
  • Co-shopping (like the Shop Together engine used by Charlotte Russe)

Ques 3. What is Social Commerce?

Ans 3. Social Commerce is the use of Social Media Platforms for selling products and services. Social Commerce Platforms Examples are: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok.

Ques 4. Who Started Social Commerce ?

Ans 4. Facebook Started Social Commerce in 2007 & it expanded from there to other platforms.

Ques 5. Which Tool is best for Social Commerce?

Ans 5. TaggShop is the best Social Commerce Tool. With TaggShop you can create shoppable Social Commerce products on your website through Social Media.

Ques 6. Who is called the Indian Father of Commerce?

Ans 6. K.Vaitheeswaran is the author of the book failing to succeed. The story of Indians first E-Commerce company. He is populary known as the father of e-commerce in India.

Ques 7. What are main Disadvantage of Social Commerce?

Ans 7. The users get side tracked this method is mostly created for shoppers not businesses. The process is entirely focused on a certain Social Media Platform which makes a seller sometimes use the web traffic including the CTR. It is also time consuming.

Ques 8. What are main Advantages of Social Commerce?

  • Ans 8.  Direct Contact between sellers and consumers.
  • Trust Worthy Reviews
  • Access to mobile shoppers
  • Helps build the brand and its intracted with the consumers.

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