Find out the top Social Commerce trends for 2022 that will strengthen your brand’s sales, marketing and growth.

There is a fine line between social commerce & e-commerce

The line between e-commerce and social media is disappearing, giving rise to social commerce.
The idea behind social commerce is straightforward and usually involves brands using social media to sell their products or services rather than relying on an independent online commerce website.

However, the majority of brands that practice social commerce are linked to independent online commerce stores.

“Location” is the essential ingredient of social commerce because it takes advantage of social proof. In many ways, social commerce has most of the benefits of influencer marketing – without the need to work with influencers.
Since social commerce came into force, brands have gained consumer trust, engagement, interaction and conversions. This sales typology gives a new definition to the conduct of e-commerce business by reducing time and simplifying the purchase process, drastically changing the way the consumer behaves.


The Rise of Social Commerce Trends

via GIPHY

Social media users spend a lot of time scrolling through their feeds. This has propelled brands to have a ubiquitous presence, to increase their sales.
The trends of this business typology have grown as indisputable strategies for the online commerce sector and will continue to grow in the coming years.
Instagram, for example, leads the sales of Gen Z, who spend 2x more shopping on social channels than the average consumer.
Gen X, on the other hand, is leaning towards Facebook.

Trends to Keep in Mind in 2022

via GIPHY
  1. 5G connectivity will enable XR experiences on connected devices
  2. Digital avatars will slay the fashion industry
  3. The conventional use of NFTs is still in contention
  4. Micro-influencers will continue to help brands increase their reach
  5. Friction-free experiences will win hearts and loyalty
  6. User-generated content is still an essential marketing strategy
  7. Conversational commerce is now an essential element in social commerce More Intelligence use cases Artificial, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Social Commerce
  8. Voice technology and conversational shopping continue to rise in popularity
  9. Live streaming is ready to grow even more
  10. Specialized social media markets will continue to help social commerce expand
  11. Low-priced products will continue to sell well on platforms Social RMS in 2022
  12. Better and more integrations between Social Commerce and e-commerce platforms
  13. Frequently Asked Questions

MD3 STUDIO can help you find the best marketing strategy for your business. Learn how to promote your products and services online. Let’s talk.

These days, saying that social networks are here to stay is a pleonasm… after all, they are part of our personal and professional lives and are practically an essential asset for many!

We communicate increasingly using social networks, whether for personal or professional purposes or as a form of publicity and advertising.

In Portugal, in January 2021, there were 7.80 million users registered on social networks, equivalent to 76.6% of the Portuguese population.

Ease of access and distribution of information on digital platforms, combined with the growing use of connected devices, becomes the best way to reach the target audience for companies, regardless of their market.

Companies are increasingly expanding their content, products and services to social networks, which serve as a funnel for the user, who accesses what really interests him and easily finds ways to deepen his knowledge of the topics he considers relevant.

In conclusion, social networks are great examples to spread a company’s brand or reinforce the corporate identity and present new products.

Why use social media for business?

Social networks are channels for dissemination, attraction and, above all, relationships with leads and customers.

The profiles and pages of companies on social networks are direct contact channels, with few filters and restrictions.

Precisely for this, the work done in these environments is for customer services like questions, complaints, requests, criticisms or suggestions. Social networks for companies are even sales channels!

It is possible to promote ads on these platforms, in addition to boosting specific publications to get more followers, more leads in the Inbound strategy, more contact appointments and even more sales within online stores.

Direct contact channels, such as Facebook Messenger or Instagram, Linkedin and Twitter direct messages (DMs), also serve to make prospecting contacts and sales qualification.

But what are the best social networks for companies to maintain profiles and content strategy?

Facebook

Facebook has a giant reach. With a very diverse audience, it is a platform that collects information (with permission) relevant to audience targeting and targeting content and ads.

With Facebook, it is possible to share photos, videos, broadcast live, advertise vacancies, create events, and include banners redirecting to the company’s website.

One of the main tools used on Facebook is the use of promotions, which in addition to capturing the public’s attention also allows the company’s brand to be seen by more people. The language can vary according to the desired target audience, as the social network encompasses different age groups, social classes and interests in terms of hobbies and lifestyle.

One of Facebook’s biggest focuses these days is on videos. It is possible to post them among the normal content, in the format of Stories, in live streams (live) and also in the format of Watch Party within groups. The network even already has a special video stream for video game streaming.

Companies using Facebook may have already noticed a decrease in the reach and engagement of their organic posts. The network has also prioritized posts by friends and groups, so postings by companies on professional pages should be boosted with monetary values ​​to increase their reach and distribution.

In addition to the publication of varied content, company pages must be complete with information such as a link to the website, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail, opening hours, list of services or products and other points that help the customer to find the company, solving its initial needs.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social network with immense potential for B2B companies, whose consumer audience is other companies. Although companies are present on the network through the Company Pages, the greatest appeal is with personal profiles, made by professionals with the aim of sharing knowledge and news, networking and presenting their work or companies.

For companies, LinkedIn serves as a presentation of the company and a recruitment tool, as it is possible to advertise vacancies and define with assertiveness the profile of the sought professional.

It is also a content dissemination channel, being able to distribute more complex pieces such as surveys, success stories and articles.

By disclosing its material and brand on LinkedIn, the company conquers its space on the network, showing that it is aware of market trends, becoming a reference among professionals in the area.

In addition to the content strategy and job promotion tool, LinkedIn is also useful in B2B sales processes.

The company’s salespersons must have their active, up-to-date and complete profile in order to use it as a point of contact with other companies and their managers or decision-makers who may buy the product or service.

As the network also has its own private messaging channel, called InMail, it is now possible to bridge the gap and make the first contact with your leads.

Of course, for the sales objective, it is essential to have the rest of the process well structured and activated, including the sending of emails and the leads for prospecting and qualifying leads.

Instagram

Social network preferred by the public, alongside Facebook (it’s integrated into this network), Instagram is a purely visual platform that allows you to combine entertainment with functionality.

Composed of pictures and video publications, a channel is also an option for publishing campaigns, promotions and product disclosure.

In addition to the feed, in which users browse and view images, videos and ads, the network also have the Stories feature, with images and videos of up to 15 seconds that are only visible for 24 hours, Reels (short videos) and IGTV, which allows the upload and storage of longer videos, as long as they are vertical.

Both commercial pages and personal profiles can use direct messages. As it is a simple social network with constant access, Instagram is one of the most favourable channels for promoting the company’s products and brand.

In this way it is possible to involve the public with brands, making them possible to be bought by consumers.

There is still the benefit of combining the company’s name with a dynamic channel, but to reap all these positive points, it is essential to build an original content plan for the network.

Keeping the regularity of publications and merging different types of content helps with engagement, reaching new followers and also in the relationship with your leads.

In the Stories feature, for example, Instagram provides boxes that provide space to receive questions or take tests with the public.

The language in all Instagram posts should be light and direct, investing more in the look, whether with photos, illustrations or animations. Applying the company’s visual identity also helps in establishing and remembering the brand.

The pandemic dominated the world a year ago and, with confinement, consumer behaviour has definitely changed. 

We live in an era of omnichannel, that is, the complementarity between channels, online (web, app, social networks) and offline (physical stores, radio, TV).

To achieve success with omnichannel, brands need to know their consumers very well: What do they want? What do they value? What do they like? What do they feel? What are consumers drivers? What makes them choose one or the other brand?

The Internet has transformed the way people make purchasing decisions. Nowadays, consumers are on various digital communication channels and are looking for information about what they want to buy. Therefore, the presence of online business is important!

Search before buying

In a Google study, 83% of respondents who visited a store, previously did an online survey on the desired product, even if the purchase is in a physical store, consumers use their different digital channels to decide on their purchase. So, even if the primary sale is to purchase at a physical location, it is important that the product and brand are available online, at least on a platform or on a social network.

As most stores are closed to the public, the consumer was redirected to digital platforms. For some, there are still some barriers to buying online: lack of trust in the seller; need to see, touch and try before buying; electronic methods of payment, immediate payment (despite there being several offers, there are still consumers who prefer to pay in cash, except in cases where it is possible for the consumer to pay at the time the package is delivered).

How to successfully respond to consumer needs in 2021?

See the full article at The Future of Shopping Has Arrived Early: Industry Perspectives.

Improve shopping experiences to meet new consumer expectations

In addition to looking for the best price, the consumer seeks, above all, to buy safely. Designing and developing online stores whose experience is pleasant and safe for the consumer is essential. It is also important to show the stock of the most popular products, allow wishlists and store products in the shopping basket, for example.

Share information in a clear and accessible way

At the time of purchase, it is important to simplify the purchase. Therefore, an online store must be developed with the “user’s journey in mind” from the choice of the product to the intention to purchase, to the moment of sharing sensitive personal data, payment methods, delivery date and, possibly, information on product return policy.

Reach out shoppers around the world

More and more consumers are finding a balance between local and global purchases.
Cross-border online sales, for example, saw an increase of about 21%, corresponding to the first half of 2020 on a global scale, compared to the same period in 2019, due to the fact that consumers are looking for greater availability of products and prices.

To build loyalty through a multidimensional strategy 

More than 60% of consumers say they have tried a new brand since the beginning of the pandemic and 58% say they used a new e-commerce platform.
This division has resulted in a decrease in loyalty, as consumers around the world say they feel less loyal when it comes to physical stores and online shopping platforms. That said, loyalty is increasingly derived from factors such as affordability.
Although the price is the driver of the loyalty of online purchases, also the deliveries, returns and their effectiveness make the customer loyal or not to the brand.

The challenges of the pandemic are growing more and more, however, for brands (small or large) with better online tools, opportunities are also growing.

Interested in creating an online store or a platform to promote your brand? Talk to us.


Brands surrender to Social Commerce in 2022

Marketing/ What are the top Social Commerce trends for 2022? Find out what strengthens your brand's sales and growth. / Social Media

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