Why Social Shopping Can Skyrocket Sales For Online Sellers

Covid has completely disrupted the economic landscape but it’s also a time of historic opportunities. Particularly for direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses that take advantage of emerging social shopping trends.

For retailers, hotels and brick-and-mortar establishments, the economy is threatening to shudder their business as consumers stay home and order online. According to a 2021 Guidant Financial report, marketing is among the top three non-Covid challenges currently faced by business owners.

Unfortunately, many retailers are stuck in outmoded ways of doing business. They view social strictly as a sales channel. And constantly pushing products are off-putting to social followers and fanbases.

Social Selling is a Game-Changer

Social media shouldn’t be used exclusively as a one-way messaging platform where brands are constantly selling merchandise. A smarter approach is to engage, interact, entertain and form friendships with audiences, viewers and followers.

Doing so gives boutique firms an opportunity to skyrocket sales while having fun doing it.

“Ecommerce startups need to recognize and embrace new consumer behaviors brought about by social media and the pandemic,” says Ethan Kramer, founder of Ethan Kramer Creative which is a Rochester, New York-based marketing agency. “The fact is that today’s shoppers resonate with online communities, real-time interactions, live streaming and personalized content.”

When it comes to personalized content, these often come in the form of live streaming such as CommentSold and Facebook Live Shopping. Such broadcasts are typically produced by personalities that audiences like and follow. Thus, the presenters are much more than a traditional salesperson. To viewers, they’re also entertainers, podcasters, community builders and friends.

Shunning Traditional Sales Techniques

Social shopping enables marketers to form bonds with audiences. With Facebook Live Shopping, streamers discuss merchandise while interacting with audiences. It’s not uncommon for them to also talk about family life. Therefore, viewers may or may not purchase but also just hang out and socialize.

“A surge in revenue and profits is a great way for startups to validate their value proposition in the marketplace,” says Kramer. “Social streams like CommentSold, as well as Facebook Live Shopping are game-changers for ecommerce startups. Entrepreneurs now have a real shot at achieving millions of dollars in sales if they know how to charm audiences and nurture a social community.”

Understanding New Consumer Behaviors

The 30-year-old digital marketer says the secret is to understand how Facebook and social shoppers interact with, and buy from, brands online.

“On Facebook Live Shopping, one key strategy is to replay videos in order to warm up audiences. It can boost conversions so long as the content is optimized for purchases. When working with clients, I add a website link to the video after a client has gone live. These videos give marketers an ability to feature products. We also replay CommentSold and Facebook Live Shopping broadcasts.”

Social selling means taking advantage of consumers’ evolving shopping preferences. The shopping crowd likes establishing a deeper connection on social platforms.

“We've grown to 70 clients based only on referrals,” says Kramer. “The social selling and live shopping industry has surged during Covid. Online retailers that tap into its power can undergo extremely rapid growth.”

Social Isn’t Exclusively a Sales Channel

“The problem with many agencies is they don’t understand clients’ business model and have not perfected the science and art of social and live selling. Our approach is to speak a client’s language, immerse ourselves in how their customers purchase online, and anticipate a client’s business needs.”

“Our Facebook solutions are not only extremely advanced, but we also understand clients’ niche. Our team studies how their industry is trending and apply promotional methods that have worked in the past. And it’s not always about literally promoting a product or service. We sell clients’ personalities and not necessarily their clothes. We sell clients’ lifestyles and communities and not necessarily their websites.”