Have you ever made a social commerce purchase?

Social Commerce, one of the four zones of social media marketing is defined as a form of electronic commerce which uses social networks to assist in the buying of selling of products. Social commerce utilizes user ratings, referrals, online communities and social advertising to facilitate online shopping (www.businessdictionary.com).

Social Commerce is described as customer relationship management (CRM), retailing/sales, and human resources. Some popular social commerce platforms include Facebook, LivingSocial, and TripAdvisor. In the past I have been a Groupon user for a discount or two for paint and sip activity night. Previous to last week I was not aware of social commerce, its meaning, and that I have been participating in it via the Groupon platform.

Having new knowledge on Social Commerce I found the results featured in the article, The Impact of Facebook Ads – Revealed (2017) to be intriguing.

A study conducted by CPC Strategy, a digital shopping performance growth agency, reported how frequently Facebook ads are clicked and how many items are bought from the advertising.

As part of the study:

• 1,500 U.S. Facebook users were polled over a 24-hour period
• Participants ranged between the ages of 18 and 54 years old

According to the study report:

• Nearly half – just over 47 percent – of participants claimed they learned of a new item or brand in a 30-day period
• Of that 47 percent, half of those users could recall the brand or product
• 15 percent of women purchased items they first saw on Facebook
• Almost 34 percent of all respondents clicked on a Facebook ad in the past 30 days
• 13.5 percent ended up making a purchase during the same time frame

The results of the study show that Facebook users are actively discovering new products and brands via the platform, and a greater benefit for the companies who advertise products that are purchased.

With Instagram, my most used social media platform, I just find myself scrolling right pass ads until the next non-ad posts appears. Instagram might want to follow the commerce tactics of Facebook.

Source: Doupnik, E. (2017, April 6). The Impact of Facebook Ads – Revealed. Retrieved from http://www.wwd.com.