By Alicia Fiorletta, Senior Editor
In August 2011, I was two months into my tenure at Retail TouchPoints. I was fresh out of college and reporting on Aéropostale’s new Facebook storefront.
While Aéropostale’s venture didn’t last long – none of the others did, really – it was the first time I saw the potential impact of social media.
Nearly four years later, and the term “social commerce” has received a series of definitions. Some try to connect it to a new solution, platform or tactic, but in my opinion, social commerce is any act, message or campaign that can lead to engagement. That engagement, as we all know, can lead to increased loyalty and sales.
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I think the most pivotal lesson of social media is that the value isn’t in being able to always make a connection to a hard sale. Is it possible? Absolutely. But the magic really happens when a retailer can build such strong connections with consumers that those consumers eventually turn into powerful advocates and mouthpieces for the brand and its products.
Now is the time to rethink social commerce. Tomorrow, I’ll be presenting a webinar focused on the top five trends in social commerce. Here’s a sneak preview of what to expect:
1. Instagram is a powerful revenue opportunity: I love Instagram because it provides a powerful source of inspiration. It gives consumers a personal and exclusive glimpse of a brand through a highly intimate source (smartphone). Beyond using images to bring products to life, new solutions like Like2Buy and LIKEtoKNOW.it help connect Instagram images to e-Commerce product pages.
2. User-generated content inspires and delights: We all know the power of customer feedback, ratings and reviews. This form of user-generated content helped spark an e-Commerce revolution! Now, consumers see ratings/reviews as a vital pre-requisite before they make a purchase. Well, user-generated images can have even more impact. After all, they show everyday consumers using products, which resonates more effectively than airbrushed models holding a handbag or a staged living room set that showcases furniture.
3. Influencers and advocates are powerful mouthpieces for your brand: Consumers who love your brand are eager and willing to spread the word to friends, family and even their social following (some of whom they don’t even know). There are even a variety of bloggers, influencers and tastemakers out there that want to share details about their favorite brands and products. As a retailer, you have the opportunity to not only identify these advocates, but communicate with them and provide them with a variety of opportunities to share your products and messaging across channels.
4. Tumblr and Snapchat are the social up-and-comers: A variety of different brands and retailers, from Old Navy, to Urban Outfitters and Sephora, are embracing up-and-coming social networks to connect with Millennials. Although these networks are very new and don’t necessary have the same clout as Facebook, they are go-to outlets for Millennials. If you consider Millennials a strong target customer base, you better pay attention to these platforms!
5. Social and the store are becoming more connected: This is one topic I find to be most exciting. Although social media is primarily digital, we tap into networks everywhere we go. I don’t know about you, but I’m always posting new products I buy on social networks and am tagging the stores in my posts. Well, best-in-class retailers are finding ways to integrate this social content into their in-store experiences. Others are using social posts as currency for store purchases.
I’m so excited to share more examples and best practices based on my research over the past few months. I hope you join me for this webinar and share your thoughts, feedback and questions!
