If you work in eCommerce, keeping up with the trends and features on multiple social commerce platforms is crucial to optimizing your marketing strategy.
Scrolling through your Instagram feed, it looks remarkably different than it did a few years ago. With product tags on every picture and in-app checkout options, we’ve come a long way since the app was just a space to share photos of your pets.
Instagram isn’t the only app to make the change to social selling. From product pins on Pinterest to TikTok’s Shopify integration, more platforms are dipping into the world of social commerce.
Similarly, more brands realize the promises of social shopping for their marketing strategy.
What is social commerce? It’s more than just a way for you to sell your products via channels other than your website. Instead, it’s a chance for you to meet your target audience on already populated apps, streamline your customer experience, and take your eCommerce business to the next level.
Take a look at a few brands making waves in the social commerce world to find inspiration for your next move.
Glossier
Glossier shows us exactly how social shopping via in-app purchases on social media and shoppable influencer content is done. Since its launch in 2013, the brand has risen to beauty-world brilliance, with over 2.6 million followers on Instagram. The secret to the brand’s success? A heavy reliance on influencer marketing, Instagram shopping, and the customer-centric appeal of social commerce.
Much of Glossier’s success pertains to its overwhelming amount of social proof. With regular user-generated content (UGC) and that from micro- and macro-influencers, customers of Glossier believe in the brand because their friends – and the people they follow – do. Though their online storefront gets traffic from other venues, their presence on social media platforms makes up many of their clicks.
Zimba
Working closely with Facebook Shops to sell directly to consumers, Zimba is an excellent example of social commerce at its best. The brand offered an all-natural, cost-effective alternative to other teeth whitening products, but marketing heads knew that wasn’t enough. They needed to reach potential customers more aggressively, tactically, and directly.
To do so, Zimba conveniently modified its Instagram and Facebook pages to include shoppable posts and offer in-app purchasing, making the buying process easy and streamlined for consumers. Using Facebook Messenger for additional direct contact with customers, Zimba optimized its Facebook presence, and the data shows it worked. According to a Facebook case study, Zimba saw a “6.7% greater average order value from buyers who purchase via Shops compared to those who bought from the website.”
So Yummy
Our brand, So Yummy, has always been ahead of the game regarding social commerce features. As the most viral food brand on social networks, So Yummy demonstrates the importance of high-quality storytelling, engaging content, and knowing your audience.
The truth is that the social experience can be repetitive, even mundane, for users. Your audience is scrolling through endless media every second of every day. That means that standing out is essential for successful social commerce. By taking content that customers are already engaging with and driving them to action with shoppable content, purchase decisions come quickly. It’s not just about having a presence on social media – it’s about creating content that viewers love – and making every piece of content shoppable so that viewers can turn into shoppers at any stage. Learn more about our social commerce capabilities and how you can drive more shoppers to your eCommerce site.
Ocean Spray
If you were on TikTok – or any video-sharing platform – in 2020, you saw the video of Nathan Apodaca skateboarding while drinking a half gallon of Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice. The video went viral, with over 13 million views. And it didn’t just reinvigorate the internet’s love of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” the soundtrack to Apodaca’s skating; it boosted Ocean Spray’s brand awareness and sales.
You can’t always predict what will be a hit, but leveraging UGC when it happens is essential – and Ocean Spray did just that. Building on the real-time excitement from Apodaca’s video, Ocean Spray developed content revolving around the TikToker, sending him a new truck (and tons of juice) and pushing hashtags like #DreamsChallenge and #cranberrydreams. The brand took a surprise win and went with it, modifying its social commerce strategy to include what was working.
Lindex
Live shopping is becoming increasingly popular as brands discover the effectiveness of combining engaging content and online shopping for product discovery. A Livestream event lets social media users view product pages, engage with influencers, and head directly to the online store from one piece of content.
For example, Lindex, a European clothing retailer, developed a Livestream strategy that has proved highly profitable for the brand. Hosting a Livestream shopping event in 2021, Lindex generated a 55% add-to-cart rate, with 8% of viewers adding a product. In doing so, they built upon their previous social shopping strategy for an even more successful year. Lindex increased its conversion rate by allowing customers to engage directly with influencers.
Nike
Snapchat isn’t always the center of social commerce discussions, but Nike revealed its influence during the 2018 release of the Air Jordan III. Pioneering a path in Snapchat selling, the brand collaborated with Shopify and Snap Inc. to organize an incredibly effective campaign for its new product.
The product pre-release concurred with the 2018 NBA All-Star game, allowing attendees of a post-game party to scan an exclusive code and enter Snapchat. Once there, they could hit the “buy” button on the new Air Jordans, checkout, and receive their pair that night. The shoes sold out in 23 minutes. Moreover, Nike and Snapchat’s pairing paved the way for future social shopping functionality on the app, proving again how vital social commerce strategy has become.
Accelerate Your Social Commerce Strategy with First Media
Social shopping is here to stay. We’re seeing more social commerce platforms appear online, and more social channels add new features to get ahead.Don’t fall behind your competitors. Discover how partnering with First Media can give you access to a better social shopping strategy to see the benefits in real time.
