It's simple: to boost your online sales, you need to look at where your consumers spend most of their time. That means on social networks! And for good reason. According to
Statista, 77.9% of the British population is active on social media (with 53 million users). Internet users spend an average of 1 hour, 49 minutes per day on these applications (
Digital 2021, We Are Social, and Hootsuite). Social commerce - or social shopping - is therefore no longer just an option, particularly since the pandemic has pushed consumers towards digital purchasing. So, is social commerce becoming an essential driver to increasing revenues in this area?
To answer this question, it is first necessary to master the ins-and-outs of social commerce and recognize some of the major trends emerging there. In this regard, one of the main developments to take into account is the gradual transformation of social media platforms into true e-commerce ecosystems that promote the presentation and sale of products.
We are not only talking about the actual presence of brands on social networks – though that is still very important. In the United States alone, data show that in 2021, 92% of companies with more than 100 employees use social media for marketing purposes (compared to 86% in 2013 –
Statista
). The European average came to 47% in 2017, but with significant variations by country (79% of Icelandic companies had a social media presence, compared to 41% of French companies –
Statista
). Thus, we are seeing more and more brands settling on networks to offer their product catalogs to internet users who follow them.
But what is surprising is the growing appetite of internet users for social commerce. A study in the US shows that 90% of users buy from the brands they follow on social media and are more loyal to said brands, with a jump in spending from 12% to 75% in three years (MarketingDive.com). In the UK, a third of internet users say they have already bought a product via a social media platform.
In other words, "social shopping" is becoming a full-fledged sales outlet in its own right. And if you want proof of this trend, here it is: social media platforms themselves are increasingly offering features that allow brands to offer (and sell) their products on these supports.