Social media is a powerful tool for your business when used properly. Use social media integrations within your website help to get your products seen and engaged with, and exponentially increases your chances of making a sale. We recommend the following three integrations:
Social media sign-in is the fastest method, aka the most preferred method.
Mobile commerce will account for 24.4% of overall e-commerce revenues by the end of 2017. (ABI Research)
Our lives are becoming more mobile every day, so the ability to register to a website with as little effort as possible is the new MO. Nobody likes the process of trying to fill out long forms with a touchscreen cell phone. The process is slow, and more often than not, one mistake on the wrong line can mean you have to start over completely. Not cool! Social sign-in allows customers to create an account using one of their social media profiles, which usually contains all of the information you need. Typically it’s a one-click deal, which makes your customer happy, and more likely to make a purchase.
User-generated social content is everything right now.
Fifty-nine percent of millennials say they use UGC to inform their purchase decisions about major electronics. That’s followed by cars (54%), major appliances (53%), mobile phones (46%), hotels (45%), and travel plans (40%). (Crowdtap)
Brand engagements rise by 28% when consumers are exposed to both professional content and user-generated content. (comScore)
Say for instance that you are a clothing retailer. Sure, you can dress up models and sell your clothes online, but the best way to get people to talk about your products is to give them the opportunity to interact with them. Some retailers are allowing customers to post photos of themselves wearing an outfit, giving others the opportunity to see what their clothes look like on a regular person, instead of a model with unattainable proportions. Attach a hashtag to it, and you’ve got FREE scalable content, and people interacting with your brand. They love it. You’ll love it. It’s a no brainer!
Enable social sharing and commenting on product pages.
Eighty-four percent of millennials report that UGC on company websites has at least some influence on what they buy. (Bazaarvoice)
The nature of online buying, where there is no physical contact with the product prior to purchase, demands that customers pay attention to reviews and comments. With social media integration there is a more genuine experience with reviews on your website because comments are attached to a social media identity, reducing the presence of trolls. Your more tech-savvy customers can tell the difference between fake reviews, trolls, and genuine feedback. Most of these comment systems even have a rating system which helps to highlight your more popular products.
For best e-commerce practices in 2016, adapt to the culture of speedy and interactive user experiences!
