Social Commerce – The newest trend in online shopping

Social commerce is one of the latest innovations in online shopping.

The term refers to a purchasing journey that takes place entirely on a social media platform – from product discovery all the way to the final purchase.

In this post, we take a look at what this new form of e-commerce is all about.

Interested in learning more about the concept behind the buyer journey? Read more in my post on Customer Journey Mapping here.

An integrated shopping experience on social media

As the name suggests, social commerce is a new and “social” form of online shopping.

It’s an incredibly exciting phenomenon that was bound to happen, in my opinion.

Consumers have long been able to access everything from inspiration to detailed product reviews on social media, and the only missing piece in the purchasing journey was the final step to make the process a fully integrated part of social platforms.

With social commerce, the idea is that users don’t need to leave the platform to make a purchase—they can do so directly from their preferred social media platform.

In other words, the transition from interest to action is seamless, which is why social commerce has become an essential part of  social media platforms’ growth strategies.

Examples of Social Commerce

Social commerce reaches consumers where they spend most of their time—on social media.

Meta has introduced shopping features that allow users to purchase products directly through its platforms, Pinterest integrates shopping features for a smoother purchasing experience, and TikTok has recently partnered with Shopify to make in-app shopping easier and faster.

It’s undeniable that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced this trend, accelerating the shift toward social media as a shopping channel for many consumers

Live shopping is another great example of this ongoing development, remaining popular even after physical stores have fully reopened.

Many of these trends originate from the Chinese market, which is a global leader in e-commerce and its innovations, and it’s definitely worth paying attention to this market.

You can read more about the current trends shaping the Chinese e-commerce market in my post here.