Why social commerce deserves your attention

As the term suggests, social commerce focuses on social media as a sales channel. This means that instead of populating platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok with marketing messages that direct consumers to one’s own website or online store, social commerce activities aim to transform the individual touchpoints into the point of sale. The biggest advantage of realigning social media touchpoints in such a way is evident. It allows companies to minimize the barrier between product discovery and purchase completion and makes the social media shopping process as seamless as possible – contributing to an increase in conversion and sales rates. But social commerce also brings other advantages.

Many e-commerce companies, including both smaller and larger brands, have recognized social media as a great way to expand their reach and engage with a wide variety of audiences. Social media platforms also enable product messages and shopping opportunities to be placed where consumers are already spending time. As a result, younger generations in particular, many of whom spend their time on social networks and, as digital natives, have special requirements in terms of their shopping experience, can be persuaded to buy a product in a targeted manner. By using analytics tools, companies can also work to understand their target groups and use the data gathered to improve their market presence. This supports brand loyalty while reducing abandonment and return rates in various sales channels.

The wide range of store and check-out functions which are already provided by social media platforms enable companies of all sizes to launch into social commerce immediately and without any additional investment. As with any sales initiative, however, it is advisable to first develop a suitable strategy. Which aspects need to be considered, will be covered in this ePaper. Overall, the art of social commerce is to integrate buying impulses into the feeds and habits of social media users. In addition, each social media platform brings its own communities and influencers, whose impact should not be underestimated and comments and content can be cleverly leveraged as user-generated content.

No matter what your social commerce strategy looks like: The success of your social commerce campaign depends first and foremost on the quality of the product content provided on the platforms. In addition to the significance and accuracy of the product information, it is particularly important to use media content such as product images or videos that capture the interest of users, giving them the opportunity to engage with the product offer. In addition, creative marketing texts are needed that motivate users to buy the product. This content must get to the heart of the product’s benefits and be adapted in style and form to the respective platform’s standards and target groups.

Populating various social media platforms with comprehensive product information, effective media content, and contextualized marketing texts is a complex and demanding task. To accomplish this efficiently and successfully, a product content management system is required that is capable of managing the individual product data and digital assets as well as the respective derivatives and the final content in a structured manner. The content must then be delivered in a channel- and target group-specific manner. Bertsch Innovation has developed a platform that meets these requirements under the guiding principle of a One-Stop Product Content Experience.

mediacockpit combines the disciplines PIM and DAM under one instance and makes all information and communication elements available centrally and networked. This enables product experiences to be created from a single source, which can then be automatically distributed to a wide range of channels, including social media platforms, online marketplaces, the company’s own website, the online store, or a mobile app.

Would you like to learn more about social commerce? Download our Thought Leadership ePaper, explaining in detail what makes up an optimal social commerce strategy in terms of product content and product content management.