It’s no secret that social media platforms are where people spend the majority of their time. Social media is not just a platform where people can find amusement, people with the same interests, or get updated with the upcoming trends. Instead, social media has made our lives easier and more convenient.

Nearly all of the social media platforms have made the feature of online shopping available so that people no longer would have to face any trouble finding their required products. Social commerce isn’t just a fancy marketing word, as it facilitates and connects with people at every stage of the customer lifecycle.

Besides using the checkout page, brands are using this strategy to attract new customers and develop customer loyalty, More and more people are shopping from social media platforms. Therefore, it has become essential for every business to use social media to its advantage.

What is Social Commerce?

It can be best defined as using social media platforms as a way to promote and create awareness of products and services. It allows people to discover your brand, explore products or services and even allow them to carry out purchases directly from the app without redirecting them to your website.

It is known for a fact that the easier and simpler you make the purchasing experience for your customers, the chances of making a sale increase. A potential customer might give up on the idea of buying anything from your website if the purchasing process is too long.

Social commerce is the best way to increase sales, as it allows customers to go through minimal steps and makes their purchasing convenient. People tend to discover more products and proceed with more purchases when the purchasing process is simplified. Thus resulting in boosting customer loyalty.

Importance of Social Commerce:

There was a time when an ecommerce website was enough for driving in new customers but the competition has increased and people are always looking for the easiest option. In the US alone, ecommerce has an estimated annual spending of around $1 trillion.

There has been a significant increase in the use of social media throughout the year 2020 and has expanded considerably. When ecommerce combines with social media, the possibilities of growth are endless. A website is undoubtedly a primary part of the shopping experience. Social commerce adds more platforms for converting new customers.

Your website and social media commerce go side by side in providing the best level of experience to your customers. There are many options available to promote your products or services on social media such as Facebook shops and Instagram checkouts.

Using social media platforms is a way to promote your brands, as it allows you to gain loyal customers. According to the stats around 53% of the people in the US who follow brands on social media are loyal to their respective brands.

Instead of focusing on attracting new customers to your brand, it’s better to retain the customers that you already have. Most brands earn more revenue from their loyal customers, so it would be wiser to establish strong relationships between customers through social media.

How to Boost Customer Loyalty Using Social Commerce?

Social media can be used for brand awareness, consideration, and transforming customers into long-term fans. However, it can also be used for retaining customers. Here are a few ways to maintain long-term relationships with customers.

Focusing on User Generated Content (UGC):

The best way for improving customer experience is through user-generated content. It allows people to see the social proof of your product’s quality and the customer satisfaction that your brand offers. Most of the customers trust the content created by other customers, as it gives them a clear idea of how much your product is liked by others.

User-generated content also attracts new customers, as if a satisfied customer posts your brand on social media, their followers are more likely to check out your social media pages. It is an effective way of brand awareness and connecting with a chain of buyers.

You can use a specific hashtag to promote your brand that makes it easier for people to find you and ask people to use it. You can also encourage re-sharing user-generated content that would result in people tagging you. Interacting with your current customers not only provides more revenue to your business but is also a way of bringing new customers to your brand.

Building a Customer Loyalty Program:

Many marketers agree that getting new customers isn’t enough and they require strategies to earn more revenue from their existing customers. These strategies mostly focus on re [eat purchases, cross-sales, and up-sales. A customer loyalty program is one of the best strategies not only because it brings more revenue to the business but it also leaves customers feeling appreciated and satisfied.

Customer loyalty programs are features of customers getting rewards from purchases that can be used for future purchasing. An effective strategy for implementing customer loyalty programs is by letting customers earn points to be redeemed in the future, gifts, vouchers, or getting exclusive access to the latest products.

The purpose of this program is to encourage customer participation that will help in building a strong relationship for the long term. It is a way of keeping the customer satisfied and appreciated.

Conclusion:

Social commerce is an essential part of all ecommerce businesses, as it allows brands to earn more money from existing customers. Getting new customers is important for every business but understanding the value of current customers is far more important.

Customer loyalty isn’t just a way to retain customers, as it also speaks for your business and is a measuring stick for how good your business is. Thus by using social media as a resource, you can easily establish a long-term relationship with your customers.