Using Social Media to Facilitate Direct Commerce
Consumers are purchasing online more than ever before and retailers are responding accordingly, with 26% sharing that they have implemented new digital and e-commerce services as a result of the increase in consumer demand. Many brands have turned to social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok as a tool to distribute content to their target audience. Here’s why your own brand should consider using social media to facilitate direct commerce:
Right Place, Right Time
According to a study done by Kleiner Perkins, online product discovery can occur on three channels; Amazon, search engines like Google, and other websites (like social media networks). What makes social networks stand apart is their ability to find customers at the right place and at the right time, providing brands with an opportunity to curate a tailored experience for customers, targeting them with relevant and visually engaging content. The algorithms used on platforms like Facebook allow products to be organically distributed to users with attributes that match the brand’s target customers. And the best part? There are no fees associated with setting up a seller account on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Merchants will only be charged selling fees for shipments or if they choose to use the paid advertising tools to combine with their organic presence on the platform.
Control the Customer Journey in Less Time
While online stores and marketplaces such as Amazon, give merchants the opportunity to control the entire customer journey, social marketplaces give brands the chance to do the same with less time-consuming processes required. Since the format and design are pre-set, brands are able to focus instead, entirely on creating the content.
While historically the original goal of social media posts is to direct traffic to a brand’s website or marketplace, shoppers have grown to expect shoppable content to appear in their social feeds. While this isn’t always the right move for every brand, some may benefit from incorporating some “buy now” features on their social media channels. By essentially turning every social media post into a direct-to-consumer value proposition, brands are able to transform the way consumers shop with them.
To learn more about how your brand can use social media to facilitate direct commerce, contact us.
Buyer Behavior at Checkout: Shipping
Free Shipping
Historically consumers have benefited from free shipping, however more and more e-commerce giants are beginning to say goodbye to the idea. But how will this impact consumers? Based on consumer expectations, 68% will abandon their cart when confronted with shipping costs that are viewed as too high, while 40% are not willing to pay for shipping at all when the order value exceeds $150. A way for retailers to combat this is to introduce a threshold on shipping costs, offering free shipping after a certain order value is exceeded.
Delivery Times
It’s no secret that the pandemic caused some major shipping delays across the country and the world, but how are consumers feeling about it today? The reality is, almost every second a consumer abandons their cart because the shipment time is unknown or too slow. For those who select standard shipping, the expectation is that the order will arrive between 3-5 business days. While retailers can only do so much to control shipping times, it’s valuable to have a clear timeline available for consumers at checkout.
Order Tracking
The customer journey does not end after they purchase a product. It’s important to keep customers up to date on their orders by including order tracking. According to research, around 20% of consumers would not reorder at an online store if there was limited or no option to track their order. Around 72% expect updates via email.
For many retailers, order tracking is still an under-utilized opportunity to increase customer loyalty. If you aren’t currently, consider implementing a tracking method for orders from your online store.
For help with fine-tuning your shipping process, contact us.
Discover Amazon Attribution
What is Amazon Attribution?
Amazon Attribution is a measurement solution for analytics and advertising that offers insight into how their non-Amazon marketing channels perform on Amazon. Marketers will be able to analyze and measure the impact of digital cross-channel marketing activities, optimize campaigns in real-time using analytics to ensure it creates the most impact, and learn which strategies work best for their brand.
How It Works
While Amazon Advertising will drive a brand’s products across multiple touchpoints, there are non-Amazon channels that play a key role in the shopping journey as well. This is where Amazon Attribution comes in. Through Amazon Attribution, marketers will be able to gain visibility into how those non-Amazon touchpoints can direct consumers to discover and consider a brand’s products through Amazon. By taking advantage of the advertising analytics and insights offered through Attribution, marketers will have the opportunity to optimize and plan their digital strategy based on data that reflects what resonates with their customers and drives value to their Amazon store.
To learn more about Amazon Attribution and if it’s right for your brand, contact us.
Looking Ahead:
- Amazon US will start accepting Venmo next year, making the shopping process easier for consumers, looking to use the app to make payments rather than making payments directly through Amazon.
- Starting January 19, 2022, Amazon UK will no longer accept Visa cards. The reason given by Amazon is due to high credit card transaction fees but they will still accept Visa debit cards.
