Gartner projects that by the year 2015, companies will generate 50% of Web sales via their social presence and mobile applications. This means that “social commerce” is a critical area for businesses to address starting now.
Social commerce is essentially where social media meets shopping. The always-online consumer increasingly relies on social interactions and friends’ recommendations through Web-connected devices to inform their purchasing decisions. According to Gartner, 74% of consumers rely on social networks to make purchasing decisions, and this percentage will only grow larger.
Businesses are increasingly aware of this peer-to-peer and group-based dynamic that occurs online with regard to purchasing products and services. For instance, think about the number of sites that include product reviews or “Like” and “Pin it” buttons encouraging shoppers to share products and services with their social networks. Accordingly, Sociable Labs reports that 62% of online shoppers have read product-related comments from their friends on Facebook. Businesses can leverage these comments and monitor social media in real-time to recognize and capture sales leads.
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Your local business can benefit from an online marketing strategy that utilizes social networks and peer-to-peer sharing to capture customers and ultimately sales. Public discussion or recommendations from consumers on social media can play a powerful role in influencing other potential customers. Your local business’s social media and mobile presence is a huge component of motivating these social interactions and hopefully driving sales. You might consider contacting a local CT marketing agency to develop an online marketing strategy that helps you more effectively use social media to expand your business.
Author: +Chris Slocumb
