Shoppable videos are the next evolution of video marketing, combining the power of visual storytelling with the immediacy of online shopping. Since 91% of consumers now expect online video content from brands, they’re essential to make your business stand out and streamline the buyer journey.

In a world where online shopping has become standard practice and a first-class customer experience is paramount, shoppable videos are an innovative strategy to capture your audience’s attention. They boost interactivity, enhance the user experience, drive customer engagement, and, ultimately, increase conversion rates.

Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat significantly contribute to the success of shoppable videos. With their vast user base and integrated shopping capabilities, these channels offer an unparalleled opportunity to reach even more potential customers.

Keep reading to learn how to supercharge your engagement and eCommerce sales with shoppable videos.

Why are shoppable videos so effective?

Shoppable videos have become a powerful tool for increasing customer engagement and conversion rates. A significant part of that success lies in their psychological impact on viewers.

Let’s look into why shoppable videos are so psychologically captivating.

Tell better stories

Humans are inherently drawn to stories, as they allow us to connect with and make sense of the world. In marketing, storytelling is a particularly fruitful tool. It can evoke emotions, build trust, and foster a deep connection with an audience.

Shoppable videos often weave products into a narrative, subtly showing viewers how the advertised products fit into their lives or solve their problems. This approach makes the shopping experience more relatable, engaging, and persuasive, which increases the likelihood of a purchase.

Answer shopper questions

Visual information plays a crucial role in the decision-making process, as humans process images 60,000 times faster than text.

Shoppable videos leverage this trait by providing a rich, visual representation of products. They allow viewers to see items in action, thus offering a more realistic perspective than static images. This can significantly influence a customer’s buying decision and make them more likely to purchase the advertised product.

As an added bonus, your shoppable videos can double as educational material, teaching potential customers how your items are meant to be used to get the most benefit.

Increase conversions

The ease and speed of shoppable videos can also significantly impact purchase behavior.

Humans naturally desire instant gratification, and shoppable videos cater to this preference. They eliminate the need to search for the item after watching the video by allowing viewers to purchase immediately. That convenience minimizes the chances of shoppers becoming distracted or changing their minds and leads to higher conversion rates.

Upsell different items

Finally, shoppable videos can include more than one item. For example, you can create a video demonstrating how to accessorize an outfit, then link to a collections page that shows all of the different pieces involved.

By showcasing how different product lines complement each other, you have more chances off cross-selling for higher average order values.

Implementing shoppable videos into your eCommerce strategy

Shoppable videos reduce the distance between product discovery and purchase to create a seamless shopping experience. Simplifying this journey thus increases conversion rates and heightens customer engagement.

Producing a shoppable video involves three steps:

1. Pre-production: Start by choosing the products you want to showcase and craft a compelling narrative around them. Sketch a storyboard to outline the video’s flow and ensure it resonates with your target audience.
2. Production: Focus on high-quality visuals and professional staging. The goal is to make the products shine and satisfy viewers’ desire to purchase immediately.
3. Post-production: This is where the magic happens. Use shoppable video software to embed clickable product tags in your video that link directly to your eCommerce site.

In the cut-throat world of eCommerce, a powerful marketing strategy and effective operations go hand-in-hand. Leverage the power of shoppable videos and the efficiency of a 3PL like MyFBAPrep to stay ahead of the competition.

Boost shoppable video performance

Once you publish shoppable videos, you need to analyze their performance to improve customer engagement continuously.

Incorporate customer feedback to improve your shoppable video content

Customer feedback is an invaluable resource for improving your shoppable videos. It provides firsthand knowledge of your viewers’ likes and dislikes, making it a powerful asset for refining your content.

Engage with your customers through various channels such as surveys, social media comments, and direct emails to gather their opinions. Did they find the narrative engaging? Was the video length appropriate? Was the product display attractive? Did they experience a seamless transition from viewing to purchasing?

Aim to collect both qualitative and quantitative information. Qualitative feedback gives you insights into viewers’ thoughts and feelings, while quantitative can provide measurable and specific information, like ratings for video quality, ease of shopping, and overall satisfaction.

Remember, feedback isn’t simply about finding fault with your content; it also identifies what you’re doing right so you can keep up a winning strategy.

Learn how to use post-purchase surveys to enrich your eCommerce brand.

A/B test to optimize video elements

A/B testing, or split testing, is an effective way to find out what elements work best for your shoppable videos. The principle is simple: Create two variants of your video (version A and version B), each with a different variant, and compare their performance.

Consider testing elements such as:

• Product placement: Test where you position your product within the video. For example, does an item showcased at the beginning earn more conversions than one displayed in the middle or at the end?
• Narrative style: Experiment with different storytelling styles. An emotional narrative might work better for some products, while a humorous or informative tone may suit others.
• Call to action (CTA): The CTA is crucial, as it prompts viewers to purchase. Test various CTAs to see which one generates more clicks. For instance, a simple “Shop Now” might work better than “Buy Today and Save 20%.”
• Video length: The optimal length can vary depending on the product and platform. Test short-form videos (under one minute) against long-form ones (over one minute) to determine which length most effectively engages viewers.

By continually testing and optimizing, you’ll refine your shoppable video content to better resonate with your audience and increase engagement and conversions as a result.

Examples of shoppable videos in action

Let’s explore a few real-world examples to see how prominent brands have successfully incorporated shoppable videos into their marketing strategies to drive sales and enhance their brand presence.

Nike

In 2019, global sportswear brand Nike joined forces with Hypebae, a renowned women’s fashion and streetwear platform, to commemorate the debut of Nike’s new Air Max Dias. They delivered an interactive photoshoot that placed a premium on customization, giving each viewer a uniquely tailored experience.

Source

Dynamic hotspots amplified this immersive event by putting viewers in the driver’s seat of their style journey: Participants could steer the photoshoot by choosing their path at each decision point.

The campaign’s results underscore the power of personalization, with a staggering 73% of viewers actively engaging with the experience at least once. This data reveals how engagement increases significantly when viewers are given control and the content is personalized.

The Fresh Market

Specialty food retailer The Fresh Market began to leverage shoppable videos and live streams in 2021, which resulted in boosted customer engagement and centricity. As the company integrated videos across every customer touch point, they saw key metrics significantly increase, including engagement rates, watch time, impressions, and conversion rates.

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The Fresh Market’s first shoppable videos resulted in a 113% rise in video engagement rates and a 115% skyrocket in session time. Viewers could interact with products and proceed to the eCommerce site to purchase with a single click.

In addition to short-form videos, the company launched shoppable live stream events centered around holidays and special occasions. These streams earned greater viewer engagement with each new event.

Top platforms for shoppable videos

The following platforms excel at facilitating shoppable videos, making it easy for brands to connect with their audiences and streamline the shopping experience:

• Instagram: Instagram is the front-runner with their Shopping and IGTV features, providing an ideal platform for your shoppable videos.
• Facebook: Facebook’s video platform and Shop section make them a strong contender for deploying shoppable videos.
• TikTok: Thanks to their partnership with Shopify, TikTok is a rising star for brands targeting a younger shopping demographic.
• Pinterest: Pinterest’s Shop the Look Pins and Shopping Ads enable brands to create shoppable video content that blends seamlessly with other pins.
• Snapchat: Snapchat’s shoppable AR filters are an innovative way to create immersive shoppable video experiences.

For more tips about selling on these platforms, check out MyFBAPrep’s The Dos and Don’ts of Social Selling for eCommerce Businesses.

Wrapping up — Harness the power of shoppable videos for richer engagement

Shoppable videos present a unique opportunity to blend entertainment and eCommerce. These powerful tools are excellent for captivating audiences, driving engagement, boosting conversions, and maximizing ROI.

You can propel your brand to unprecedented success by embracing shoppable videos throughout your channels. Harness robust analytics, customer feedback, and A/B testing to craft videos that resonate with your audience and produce exponential gains in conversions.

Consumer behaviors and preferences play a crucial role in a shopper’s purchasing decision. First-party data, in particular, has become critical to success in eCommerce, as it provides invaluable insights into customer expectations.

In this article, we’ll delve into the significance of first-party data for your eCommerce brand, exploring how you can use it to create personalized customer experiences, develop effective marketing strategies, and build customer loyalty. By the end, you’ll have a better understanding of how first-party data will help drive success for your brand.

What is first-party data?

First-party data refers to information collected directly from a business’s customers or website visitors. It’s obtained through various channels, such as website analytics, consumer surveys, purchase history, and social media engagement. Unlike second- and third-party data, which are collected from external sources, first-party data is unique to a business and provides a deeper understanding of customer behaviors and preferences.

Examples of first-party data include website analytics such as pageviews, bounce rate, and conversion rate; demographic information, purchase history, product preferences, and other customer data; and social media engagement metrics, such as likes, shares, and comments.

While first-party data is unique to a business, it’s not always readily available. Collecting and analyzing this information requires a strategy and tools to ensure it’s accurate, relevant, and actionable.

First-party vs. second- and third-party data

Second-party data is gathered from a partner or other business with whom a company has a direct relationship. These companies sign sharing agreements to provide information that includes customer information, website analytics, and purchase history. For example, if a retailer partners with a manufacturer to promote their products, they may share their customer data to target specific audiences.

Meanwhile, third-party data is purchased from external sources, such as data aggregators or data brokers. It covers demographic information, purchase history, and other data that can be used to craft targeted advertising campaigns. For example, if a business wants to attract a new audience segment in a specific geographic area, they can purchase third-party data to identify potential customers there.

The key difference between the three types of data is that first-party is collected directly from a business’s customers or website visitors, while second- and third-party are obtained from external sources. First-party data is richer and provides a deeper understanding of one’s customer. On the other hand, second- and third-party data are more general and may not offer the same level of insight into consumer behaviors.

While second- and third-party data can be valuable in certain situations, businesses that rely solely on these types risk missing critical information about their customer base. First-party data is a must to gather the information necessary to appeal to and convert your target audience.

The importance of first-party data in eCommerce

First-party data is becoming increasingly important for eCommerce businesses because it provides a wealth of valuable information on customers. Here are some ways to leverage first-party data to boost your eCommerce business:

• Personalize the customer experience: First-party data uncovers the details of your customers’ preferences, purchase history, and behavior on their website. With this information, you can craft personalized experiences for buyers, such as recommending products based on their purchase history or showing them targeted advertisements.
• Develop effective marketing strategies: By analyzing customer behavior and preferences, you can identify the most effective channels and messages to reach your target audience.
• Increase customer loyalty and retention: With first-party data, you can engage more with shoppers and provide relevant content, which contributes to increased loyalty and retention.

Collecting and analyzing first-party data

To collect first-party data, use cookies and tracking pixels and leverage appropriate tools. Then, review customer behavior to help you analyze the accumulated information. Throughout this process, you must also abide by data privacy laws and maintain top-notch security to prevent data breaches; your consumers should feel confident you’ll protect their information. Luckily, there are many tools and strategies available to collect and analyze first-party data effectively and securely.

The role of cookies and tracking pixels

Cookies and tracking pixels act as the backbone of first-party data collection. Cookies are small files stored on a user’s device that allow websites to remember user preferences and behavior. Tracking pixels, meanwhile, are small images that enable businesses to monitor user behavior on their website. By combining cookies and tracking pixels, businesses can accumulate useful data on user behavior, including pageviews, time spent on the website, and products viewed.

Tools for collecting and analyzing data

Various tools are available for collecting and analyzing first-party data. These include:

• Website analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, which provide insights into user behavior on the website.
• Customer relationship management (CRM) tools like Salesforce, which allow businesses to manage customer information, including demographics, purchase history, and website behavior.
• Marketing automation tools, such as HubSpot, which enable businesses to create targeted marketing campaigns based on consumer behavior and preferences.

Tip: Gather customer feedback regularly to get the pulse of how your brand is doing in the eyes of consumers.

Combine customer behavior

Customer behavior encompasses your consumer base’s demographics, preferences, and actions on your website. This information provides context for your analysis and supports your findings. You can learn about your consumers’ behaviors through various channels, including website analytics, customer surveys, and purchase history.

Ensure data privacy and security

Collecting and analyzing first-party data comes with the responsibility to ensure data privacy and security. Companies must be transparent about the data they collect and how they use it. They must also store that information securely and protect it from unauthorized access. As such, businesses that collect and use customer data must comply with data protection regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA.

Wrapping up — Hone in on your customers with first-party data

First-party data is becoming increasingly important for eCommerce businesses to succeed in today’s competitive landscape. By collecting and analyzing this information, you can gain valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, then use them to create personalized experiences, develop effective marketing strategies, improve product recommendations, and increase customer loyalty and retention.

To gather first-party data effectively, use cookies and tracking pixels and employ the right tools on appropriate channels. Pay special attention to data privacy and security, and comply with data protection regulations to maintain consumer confidence in your brand.

Read: 7 Ways to Gather Customer Feedback

When you apply first-party data strategically, you’re better positioned to understand and engage with your customers, build brand loyalty, and expand your business. Invest in the tools and strategies needed to collect and analyze robust first-party data to stay ahead of the competition and achieve long-term success in your eCommerce marketplace.

Customer feedback plays a critical role in shaping the success of an eCommerce business. It provides invaluable insight into what customers like and dislike about a product, service, or website and helps businesses make informed decisions to improve the buyer experience. Collecting feedback from consumers also contributes to building stronger relationships, boosting customer loyalty, and increasing sales.

However, with so many ways to gather this information, it can be overwhelming to decide which methods to use. Fortunately, we’ve simplified the task for you.

In this article, we explore seven effective ways to gather customer feedback in eCommerce. By the end, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of each method and be able to determine which ones will best suit your business.

T​he importance of customer feedback for eCommerce businesses

Customer feedback is a crucial component of any successful business strategy — especially in eCommerce, where the competition continuously grows. Feedback from your buyers reveals valuable information about the customer experience, which helps you understand your customers’ wants and needs. Specifically, customer feedback helps you:

• Improve the customer experience: Gathering customer feedback helps businesses identify pain points and areas for improvement. This allows businesses to refine the customer experience, leading to higher consumer satisfaction, retention, and sales.
• Build trust and loyalty: Customers want to feel heard and valued. By actively seeking feedback from them and acting on it, companies demonstrate their investment in their customers’ satisfaction. This strengthens trust and loyalty and encourages repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
• Identify opportunities for innovation: Customer feedback also provides insights into emerging trends and opportunities for innovation. Listening to what customers want and need can reveal new product or service offerings that’ll set them apart from competitors and drive growth.
• Mitigate negative reviews: Negative reviews can have a significant impact on a brand’s reputation and sales. However, proactively gathering feedback uncovers issues before they become widespread and allows brands to address them quickly, reducing the likelihood of negative reviews.

W​ays to gather customer feedback

Ecommerce businesses have a variety of methods available to collect customer feedback. The approach you take depends on your brand, what you feel comfortable using, and the format you think your customers are most likely to engage with. Chances are, you’ll adopt a combination of the following methods to request, collect, and share customer feedback for your brand.

1. Surveys

Surveys are one of the most popular and effective ways to gather customer feedback in eCommerce. There are several types of surveys that businesses can use, including email surveys, pop-up surveys, post-purchase surveys, and on-site surveys. Here’s a closer look at each type:

• Email surveys: These are sent directly to a customer’s inbox and can gather feedback on a variety of topics, such as customer service, product quality, or website usability. Email surveys are typically sent after a customer has made a purchase or interacted with your business in some way.
• Pop-up surveys: Pop-up surveys are displayed on a website or mobile app and are triggered by specific user behaviors, such as clicking on a button or spending a certain amount of time on a page. They’re quick and easy to complete, making them an efficient way to gather feedback in real time.

Pro Tip: Make sure your survey pop-up doesn’t interfere with the customer purchase flow, or you could end up derailing sales.

• Post-purchase surveys: This type of survey is sent after a customer has made a purchase. It’s great for collecting feedback on the overall buying experience, including shipping, delivery, and customer service.
• On-site surveys: Like pop-up surveys, on-site surveys also appear on a website or mobile app. However, they focus on feedback about specific pages or features. They can be triggered by user behavior or displayed at certain times as well, such as when a customer is about to exit a page.

Regardless of what kind of survey you choose to use, keep in mind the following best practices to craft effective surveys every time:

• Keep it short and simple: Customers are more likely to complete a survey if it’s quick and easy to complete.
• Use clear language: Avoid using industry jargon or complex language that everyday buyers may not understand.
• Include a mix of open-ended and closed questions: Open-ended questions provide more detailed feedback, while closed ones allow for easier data analysis.
• Offer incentives: Giving incentives such as discounts or free products increases the likelihood of customers completing a survey.

Here are some sample questions that businesses commonly ask in their surveys:

• How satisfied were you with your recent purchase?
• How easy was it to navigate our website?
• Did you find the information you were looking for?
• Would you recommend our product/service to others?
• What could we do to improve your experience with us?

2. User testing

User testing involves observing customers as they interact with your product or website, typically through screen sharing or in-person sessions, to identify pain points and areas for improvement.

During the testing, participants are given tasks to complete, and their interactions are observed and recorded. The goal of user testing is to identify customer problems, usability issues, and areas for improvement in the consumer experience.

This type of surveying offers several benefits for eCommerce businesses, including:

• Identifying usability issues: User testing helps businesses pinpoint problems that may not be immediately obvious, such as confusing navigation or unclear instructions.
• Improving conversion rates: By identifying and addressing pain points in the customer experience, businesses can increase both their conversion rates and sales.
• Boosting customer satisfaction: Refining the customer experience improves customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Reducing development costs: Issues are identified early in the development process, which avoids costly reworking and development delays.

To conduct effective user testing, follow these steps:

• Define your testing goals: Determine what you want to achieve through user testing and the tasks you want participants to complete.
• Recruit relevant participants: Identify your target audience and recruit participants who fit the criteria.
• Set up the testing environment: Create a testing environment that’s representative of the customer experience and ensure all necessary equipment is in place.
• Conduct the test: Observe participants as they complete their assigned tasks and take notes on their interactions.
• Analyze the results: Analyze the data collected during the test and identify pain points and areas for improvement.
• Implement changes: Use the insights gained from user testing to make changes to your product or website and conduct further testing as needed.

3​. Reviews and ratings

Reviews and ratings provide social proof, build trust with potential customers, and reveal candid opinions about the customer experience. They’re highly influential, with studies showing up to 91% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase.

Positive reviews and ratings especially build trust and credibility with potential customers, while negative reviews can uncover problem areas in the customer experience.

Several strategies can encourage customers to leave reviews and ratings, including:

• Send follow-up emails: After a purchase, send an email asking customers to leave a review or rating. Include a link to the product page or a form directly in the body text for easy access.
• Incentivize reviews: Offer discounts or other incentives for leaving a review or rating to encourage participation. This is also a great way to increase your customers’ average lifetime value by encouraging repurchasing.
• Make it easy: Make it simple and seamless for customers to leave a review or rating by providing clear instructions and links. Customers are less likely to leave a review if there are barriers to overcome.
• Personalize the request: Use tailored requests (such as addressing the customer by name and mentioning their purchase) to make the request more personal.

Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, is an essential part of managing an eCommerce business. When crafting your replies, be sure to:

• Respond promptly: Reply to reviews in a timely manner to show customers you value their feedback.
• Address specific concerns: Hone in on specific concerns raised in the review and offer solutions, if possible.
• Be professional: Keep responses professional and avoid sounding defensive or emotional.
• Express gratitude: Say thank you to customers who leave positive reviews and acknowledge the effort they put into it.

Although they can be unpleasant to receive, negative reviews actually add trust and credibility to your brand. No brand can make everyone happy. When someone expresses dissatisfaction, the best thing to do is to contact the customer directly and try to solve their problem privately, in a timely and professional manner.

4​. Social media monitoring

Monitoring social media is another effective way to gather customer feedback in eCommerce. Social media platforms provide a direct line of communication with customers, serving as an open forum for people to share their thoughts and experiences. This makes it easy to identify pain points and areas for improvement.

By monitoring social media channels, you can uncover problems with your customer experience, respond to consumer inquiries and complaints, and engage with your buyers on a personal level.

The market abounds with social media monitoring tools, including but not limited to:

• Hootsuite: A platform that allows businesses to monitor multiple channels in one place
• Mention: A tool that monitors brand mentions and conversations in real time
• Google Alerts: A free tool that allows businesses to track mentions of their brand across the web, including social media channels

Like reviews, responding to feedback on social media is critical to your eCommerce business. Here are some best practices when replying to customers through these portals (many of which you’ll find familiar):

• Respond promptly: Reply to customer inquiries and complaints in a timely manner to show customers their feedback is valued. Social media monitoring should be a regular part of your daily operations, so set up alerts to ensure you don’t miss any mentions.
• Be personal: Send tailored responses that address the customer by name to show you’re engaged with their opinions. You can also sign off social messages with your name or initials so customers know they’re speaking with a real person.
• Offer solutions: Provide solutions to customer complaints or issues, then follow up to ensure the problem has been resolved. Whenever possible, try to connect one-on-one in a private setting to address any sensitive data and avoid airing conversations publicly.
• Stay professional: Keep responses professional and avoid sounding defensive or emotional. When possible, move any negative customer interactions to a private messaging forum (e.g., DMs) or contact them directly through email or telephone.
• Show gratitude: Express your thanks to customers who leave positive feedback and acknowledge their support for your brand. Retweet, re-post, and share their positive feedback on your social media channels for social proof marketing and to celebrate your customers.

S​ocial media is an effective way to grow your brand and to connect with your customers. Rather than simply broadcasting brand messaging and sales, use your social media channels to engage with your audience. As social selling continues to grow, a solid social monitoring strategy can significantly help your brand succeed.

5​. Live chat and customer support

Live chat and customer support are mandatory in eCommerce to ensure customer satisfaction, but you can also collect useful feedback through them. They’re an avenue for customers to seek immediate help and offer valuable insight into the shopper experience.

Live chat provides a direct line of communication between customers and support teams, making it ideal for acquiring customer feedback. Businesses can identify aspects of the consumer experience that need improvement and provide real-time solutions to customer issues. With proper systems in place, like tagging and call analytics, you can also identify trends, which hone in on your consumers’ pain points and their causes so you can address them directly.

Customers expect immediate help when they encounter issues, so responsive customer support is essential. By providing quick and helpful support, you’ll enhance the customer experience, build trust with your customers, and increase their satisfaction.

You can offer impressive customer support with several tools, including:

• Helpdesk software: Helpdesk software, such as Zendesk or Freshdesk, allows businesses to manage customer inquiries and support requests all in one place.
• Chatbots: Chatbots are a great option for providing immediate assistance to customers, answering frequently asked questions, and routing more complex inquiries to a human support agent.
• Social media messaging: Use platforms like Facebook Messenger or Twitter Direct Message to reach customers through the portals where they’re already active.

6​. Customer interviews

Customer interviews are a more in-depth approach to customer feedback. They reveal greater detail on the customer experience and allow businesses to understand customer motivations and pain points on an intrinsic level.

They excel at identifying unmet needs and opportunities for innovation. Their one-on-one setting also builds trust and loyalty and shows customers their feedback is valued.

However, it’s important to note that not all customers feel comfortable sharing feedback in an intimate setting. A great way to gauge their comfort level is to include a question in a survey asking customers to self-identify if they’re willing to or are interested in speaking about their experience further.

To conduct effective customer interviews, follow these steps:

• Define your interview goals: Determine what you want to achieve through customer interviews and the topics you want to cover.
• Recruit participants: Look to your target audience to find participants who fit the criteria. For example, do you want to interview recent customers, or those who haven’t purchased in more than X months? Are you only looking to speak with customers who bought Product A?
• Conduct the interview: Hold the interview in-person or over the phone and record the conversation. You could also use Zoom, provided you have the customer’s permission.

Even better, if they permit their interview responses or likeness to be used in advertising materials, you can hit two birds with one stone by gathering feedback and capturing powerful testimonials as social proof.

• Analyze the results: Analyze the information collected during the interview and identify key insights. Highlight major themes and trends and decide how you can incorporate your findings.
• Implement changes: Use the insights gained from your customer interviews to make changes to your product or website and conduct further testing as needed.

Here are some example questions you can ask during customer interviews:

• What led you to purchase our product/service?

• What have you found to be the most significant benefits of our product/service?

• What are the pain points you experience when using our product/service?

• How can we improve our customer experience?

• What do you value most in a product/service?

7. A/B testing

A/B involves comparing two versions of a product or website to determine which performs better with customers. You create a variant of a product or website, with one key difference between them, and then analyze how customers respond to each version. This helps you identify what elements and messaging return stronger results and, in turn, make data-driven decisions to improve the customer experience.

Besides hard metrics, A/B testing also uncovers valuable information from customers that can:

• Identify pain points: Testing different versions of a website or product shows you where customers struggle in their buyer experience and make appropriate improvements.
• Boost conversion rates: A/B testing allows you to hone in on your conversion rate (among other metrics) by learning which variants achieve a more positive response from your consumer base so you can introduce them into your products or pages.

Tweak your product or website and watch the results to find the best versions, then add those changes to enrich the overall customer experience.

Here are some best practices for conducting A/B testing in eCommerce:

• Define your testing goals: Determine what you want to achieve through A/B testing and identify the key metrics you want to measure.
• Test one variable at a time: Change only one variable for each test so you’ll know indisputably which alteration caused the specific result.
• Use a large sample size: You need a large enough sample size to ensure your results are statistically significant.
• Monitor over time: Regularly check the results of your A/B testing to verify their sustained impact on the customer experience.
• Use testing tools: Employ A/B testing tools such as Google Optimize or Optimizely to automate the testing process and gather data more efficiently and reliably.

Wrapping up — Listen to your customers

Gathering consumer feedback is crucial for eCommerce businesses to stay competitive and deliver exceptional customer experiences. By listening to customer feedback, you’ll identify pain points, improve your buyer’s journey, and nurture trust and loyalty among your customers. Implement the strategies outlined in this article to gather valuable customer feedback and make data-driven decisions that refine your customer-facing operations and drive business growth.

Approximately 29% of internet users between the ages of 16 and 64 admit their primary motivation for using social media is to seek inspiration for things to do or buy.

The phenomenon known as social commerce is already revolutionizing the shopping experience. Only a few years ago, social networks were primarily used for personal connections: meeting new people, engaging with friends, and sharing glimpses of one’s private life.

However, today, nearly 53% of people who use social channels globally have access to a more comprehensive experience. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok now allow users to make purchases through them without being redirected to a brand’s website or physical store.

The social commerce boom is reshaping the customer journey as innovative customer experiences emerge, delighting connected consumers.

But, what does the landscape of social commerce entail? What are the benefits for brands? And which social platforms should you focus on for developing connected commerce? We answer these and other questions in the following article.

What is social commerce?

Social commerce involves selling products and services directly through social media platforms. The entire shopping experience occurs within the social media ecosystem, from discovering and researching products to completing the checkout process. With more than half of Gen Z using social as their search engines, it’s vital for brands to be able to attract, engage, and close sales all within social. Currently, social apps that feature integrated native social commerce capabilities include Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok.

Imagine coming across a pair of must-have summer slides on your Instagram feed. With social commerce, you can simply tap “shop now,” add the item to your cart, and complete the purchase within the app.

Similarly, while scrolling through TikTok, you might spot an affordable crewneck and click the “Buy” button. Once your purchase is finalized, you can effortlessly return to your regular TikTok viewing, enjoying duet videos of your favorite artist without interruption.

These shopping opportunities are readily available on the digital platforms your target audience frequents. It’s essential to capitalize on these avenues to enhance your business prospects.

Interested in learning more about social commerce? Check out The psychology behind social commerce (and why it works).

Types of social commerce

• Shoppable posts are social media posts with embedded “Buy” buttons or shopping tags, which allow customers to purchase products directly from the post without leaving the platform. This type of social commerce is prevalent on Instagram and Facebook.
• With social storefronts, you can set up a fully functioning store within a social media platform, such as Facebook Shops. This allows customers to browse and purchase products without leaving the social media site, creating a seamless shopping experience.
• Influencer marketing involves partnering with influential individuals who have a significant social media following to promote your products. This type of social commerce is effective because it leverages the trust and authority of influencers to build your brand and drive sales.
• Peer-to-peer selling entails individuals selling products directly to other consumers via social media platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Instagram’s direct messaging feature. This option is popular among small businesses and individual sellers.

Social commerce vs. eCommerce vs. mCommerce

For businesses, social commerce entails selling products or services via social networks. In marketing vernacular, the term “sCommerce” is also used (not to be confused with “eCommerce” or “mCommerce”).

eCommerce, or electronic commerce, encompasses all remote transactions conducted through computers, smartphones, or tablets. In recent years — particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic — eCommerce has experienced tremendous growth.

Meanwhile, mCommerce, or mobile commerce, refers to sales and purchases made using mobile phones. mCommerce offers unparalleled flexibility so shoppers can make purchases while on the move.

While eCommerce, mCommerce, and sCommerce each have distinct characteristics, their ultimate goal is the same: to create more immediate, streamlined customer journeys while delivering exceptional digital experiences.

Benefits of integrating social commerce

Still unsure if investing in a platform that integrates with social commerce is a wise decision? Here are five compelling reasons to give it a try.

1. Greater reach and visibility

By incorporating social commerce into your broader eCommerce strategy, you can tap into the vast user base of various social media platforms and significantly expand your brand’s reach. This multi-platform approach boosts your visibility and attracts potential customers who otherwise might not have discovered your products or services.

As more users engage with your brand through likes, shares, and comments on social media, these interactions grow your online presence, which leads to increased brand awareness and, consequently, higher sales potential.

2. Increased engagement

Social commerce fosters a more interactive environment for customers to connect with your brand.

By enabling buyers to comment on, rate, and share products with their friends, you create a two-way communication channel that deepens customer relationships and encourages brand loyalty. This rich engagement enhances the overall consumer experience and provides valuable insights into their preferences and opinions.

3. Deeper customer insights and brand loyalty

Tangential to the above point, incorporating social commerce into your eCommerce platform offers a wealth of data on customer behavior, trends, and preferences.

Each time buyers interact with your brand on social media, they generate information you can accumulate and analyze to better understand their needs and desires. That, then, enables you to produce more targeted marketing campaigns, develop products or services that resonate with their preferences, and personalize offers to maximize their appeal.

Plus, the real-time nature of social media allows you to monitor and respond to emerging trends and customer feedback promptly, ensuring your brand remains agile and adaptive in a rapidly changing market landscape.

By leveraging these insights, you continuously improve the customer experience, build stronger relationships with your audience, and drive sustained growth for your business.

When customers are invested in your company, they’re more likely to become brand advocates, share their positive experiences with their social networks, leave glowing reviews, and recommend your products or services to others.

This word-of-mouth marketing strengthens your brand’s credibility and attracts new customers, both of which serve to drive organic growth and amplify the impact of your marketing efforts.

4. Higher conversion rates

By streamlining the shopping process and reducing friction, such as through the navigation between websites or apps, you craft a seamless and user-friendly experience that encourages customers to make a purchase.

The ease of use combined with the power of social proof through user-generated content, reviews, and recommendations, yields higher conversion rates and boosts revenue for your business.

5. More sales and revenue

Social commerce can significantly contribute to your business’s growth by expanding your customer base and fostering repeat purchases.

When you tap into the vast audience of social media, you draw in new customers who failed to discover your brand through traditional channels. Plus, engaging and nurturing relationships with existing buyers encourages loyalty, which leads to repeat purchases and greater lifetime value.

Best platforms for integrating social commerce

As social commerce continues to gain traction in online retail, numerous platforms have begun to facilitate seamless shopping experiences for consumers. With so many options available, we’ve listed some of the best platforms for integrating social commerce into your eCommerce strategy:

• Instagram: Instagram has become a powerhouse for social commerce thanks to features like Instagram Shopping and Shoppable Posts, which allow users to explore, learn about, and purchase products without leaving the app. With its visually driven interface and extensive user base, Instagram is an ideal platform for businesses looking to showcase their products and attract new customers.
• Facebook: Being the world’s largest social network, Facebook offers a range of social commerce tools, including Facebook Shops and the Marketplace, that enable businesses to sell products directly on the platform. The extensive targeting options available through Facebook Ads also make it an excellent choice for companies that want to reach specific audiences and drive sales.
• Pinterest: Pinterest is a visually oriented platform that drives product discovery and inspiration. With features like Buyable Pins and the Shop tab, users can easily browse and purchase items on the platform. Pinterest is especially suitable for businesses in fashion, home decor, and DIY industries, where visual appeal plays a crucial role in generating sales.
• TikTok: TikTok has rapidly become a popular avenue for social commerce, with its short-form video format providing a unique and engaging way to showcase goods. Features like TikTok Shopping and shoppable live streams offer users the ability to buy directly through the app. It’s an attractive option for businesses looking to tap into the platform’s younger demographic and viral potential.
• Snapchat: Primarily used among younger audiences, Snapchat hosts social commerce features like shoppable ads and the Snap Store, where businesses can create and manage their product catalogs. The platform’s unique, ephemeral content and AR capabilities provide opportunities for creative and immersive shopping experiences that drive engagement and sales.

The right platform for your social commerce strategy depends on your target audience, industry, and overall business objectives. Select one that best aligns with your brand and audience to leverage the power of social commerce to grow your business and drive sales.

Wrapping up — Drive more sales with social commerce

Integrating social commerce into your eCommerce platform offers a wealth of benefits for your business. From increased brand exposure and customer engagement to streamlined purchasing processes and more, social commerce is an essential strategy for online retailers to stay competitive.

By embracing this innovative approach to online shopping, you can build a more interactive, personalized, and successful eCommerce experience for your customers.

Social selling has become essential to a thriving eCommerce business. With the rise of social media, online sellers leverage these platforms to reach their target audiences and increase conversions. As a result, 73% of consumers have made a purchase because of something they saw on social media. Social selling involves more than simply promoting products and services; it focuses on creating a connection with your audience, fostering trust, and providing value.

What is social selling?

Social selling is the practice of using social media platforms to build relationships, engage with potential customers, and, ultimately, drive sales. It goes beyond traditional sales tactics by focusing on providing value to your audience, strengthening trust, and establishing your brand as a thought leader in your industry.

Social selling provides an opportunity to connect with current and potential customers directly, which is a crucial capability for eCommerce businesses. The increasing prevalence of social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter lets merchants reach larger audiences and nurture relationships with customers they might otherwise have missed. To succeed with this approach, there are certain best practices you should follow and other actions to avoid.

In this article, we’ll explore the dos and don’ts of social selling for eCommerce sellers. We’ll provide tips and recommendations for building relationships, crafting engaging content, and optimizing your social media profiles. You’ll also learn the common mistakes to avoid and see real-world examples to gain inspiration for your social selling strategy. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve your efforts, you’ll uncover valuable insights to help you succeed.

The dos of social selling

To realize the awesome benefits of social selling for your business, you need to be strategic about its implementation. Here are some of the most important dos of social selling.

Build relationships

One of the main goals of social selling is to build relationships with your target audience. You can foster strong connections in many ways, including:

• Engage with your audience: Respond to comments, messages, and mentions promptly. This shows you value your audience and are interested in what they have to say.
• Address customer queries and feedback: Similarly, addressing customer questions and feedback quickly displays your care for your customers and your willingness to go the extra mile to ensure their satisfaction.
• Offer personalized recommendations: Use data and analytics to provide personalized recommendations for your audience. This proves you understand their needs and are capable of offering tailored solutions.

Create engaging content

Crafting engaging content is imperative for social selling success. To produce rich content:

• Use high-quality visuals: Images and videos are more engaging than text-only content. Incorporate high-quality visuals that are relevant to your brand and messaging to grab hold of your audience’s attention.
• Employ storytelling to convey your message: Storytelling conveys your message in a more compelling way. In turn, this helps your audience relate to your brand and cultivate an emotional connection.
• Let loose with humor and wit: Introducing humor and wit into your content helps you stand out and reach your audience on a more personal level.

Optimize your social media profiles

Optimized social media profiles are a subtle but important component of social selling. We recommend you:

• Incorporate relevant keywords into your profile descriptions: Use relevant keywords that your audience is searching for in your profile descriptions. This helps you appear in search results and increases your visibility.
• Include links to your website and product pages: Make it easy for your audience to reach your website and product pages by including links in your social media profiles.
• Feature high-quality profile pictures and cover photos: Use high-quality profile pictures and cover photos that are relevant to your brand and message. These make a strong first impression and boost your credibility.

The don’ts of social selling

Along with these best practices, there are also some common mistakes to avoid in social selling. You need to take a careful approach to ensure you don’t annoy or turn off your audience.

Don’t be too pushy

Being overly pushy with your social selling tactics can backfire and drive away your audience. Here are some common missteps and what we recommend you try instead:

• Avoid hard selling tactics: Focus on giving your audience value through helpful content, educational materials, and personalized recommendations. Displaying your expertise and providing this value establishes trust with your audience and ups the likelihood of a sale.
• Don’t spam your audience with promotional messages: Sending too many promotional messages can make your audience feel overwhelmed and cause them to unfollow or unsubscribe from your accounts. Instead, be strategic about when and how often you promote your products or services. Focus on messaging that resonates with your targeted segment.
• Provide value first before asking for a sale: Cultivate trust and establish your brand as a thought leader before asking prospects to buy. You can achieve this through educational content, personalized recommendations, and engaging with your audience in a genuine manner. By providing value up front, you foster a loyal following that’ll be more likely to convert when the time is right.

Don’t ignore negative feedback

Overlooking negative feedback can damage your brand reputation and push potential customers to your competitors. Although it can be difficult to receive, it’s important to handle this type of feedback by:

• Addressing customers promptly and professionally: Respond to negative feedback in a timely and professional manner. Acknowledge the customer’s concerns and work towards finding a solution to show you care and are willing to invest time to fix their issues.
• Seizing the opportunity to improve: Negative feedback can be a learning opportunity to refine your products, services, and customer experience. Use it to identify areas of improvement and take steps to address them.
• Keeping negative comments or reviews: Deleting negative comments or reviews can make your brand appear dishonest and untrustworthy. Instead, respond to them publicly and highlight your efforts to find a solution. This transparency conveys your willingness to take responsibility for mistakes and issues, turning a negative experience into a positive one that could win back a dissatisfied customer.

Don’t overdo automation

While automation can be helpful for managing your social media accounts, overdoing it can lead to a lack of personalization and engagement. For best results with automation:

• Don’t rely solely on automated responses: Automated responses are great when managing large volumes of messages, but relying on them entirely can make your audience feel like they’re talking to a robot. Automation should supplement your social selling strategy, so be sure to respond to messages personally when appropriate.
• Personalize your messages and interactions: Personalization is key to making your audience feel valued and heard. Use the information you have on your audience to tailor your messages and interactions to their interests and needs. This builds stronger relationships and increases your chances of driving sales.
• Don’t underestimate the human connection: While automation can streamline routine tasks, it can’t replace the influential impact of human interaction. Be sure to engage with your audience personally whenever possible, such as responding to messages, commenting on posts, or hosting live events. By striking a balance between automation and personalization, you’ll construct a social selling strategy that’s both efficient and effective.

Social selling in the real world

Thanks to the rapid rise of social media and influencer marketing, there’s no shortage of social selling examples to show you how it’s done. Here are a few for inspiration as you consider how you can leverage social media in your sales strategy.

Warby Parker

This eyewear company uses social media to showcase their unique designs, as well as offers a virtual try-on feature on their website. The brand shot to internet fame thanks to its innovative approach to marketing using social media!

Warby Parker’s business model for selling prescription eyeglasses has been largely successful as a result of social media, which made it easy to reach huge audiences. The brand focused on transactional communication as opposed to traditional, linear advertising, which established trust early. In addition, word-of-mouth marketing via platforms like Instagram and Facebook meant influencers and everyday users delivered social proof on behalf of the brand.

Glossier

This beauty brand capitalizes on social media to display their products and engage with customers. They employ user-generated content to create a sense of community around their brand, which has increased their brand awareness and consumer loyalty.

Glossier is now considered a “blueprint for social media community driven marketing” due to Forbes naming it the “Beauty Brand for the Generation Instagram.” The company also boasts more than 2.6 million followers on Instagram alone. They’ve excelled at branding and playing into meme culture, leveraging user-generated content, and keeping their content both authentic and approachable. They know exactly who they’re targeting and maintain a simple but effective approach.

Zulily

eCommerce retailer Zulily offers flash sales and personalized recommendations to their customers on social media. By leveraging social media to promote its products and offer exclusive deals to its followers, Zulily has grown its customer base and increased its sales. But that’s not all.

Zulily’s Affiliates & Influencers program allows the brand to spend less time and money on linear advertising methods by capitalizing on the audiences of influencers on social media, who also deliver social proof and brand trust by sharing their perspectives, experiences, and posts. In 2017, Zulily used social media to find new campaign stars, tapping their fanbase and encouraging users to send in photos of their children for the Zulily Cuties campaign.

Creating a social selling strategy

Now that you know what to do and not do in social selling, it’s time to build your strategy and put it to work. To create an effective social selling strategy, follow a structured approach that aligns with your overall eCommerce goals. Here are some foundational steps to take:

1. Define your target audience: Before you begin selling on social media, you need to identify your target audience. This entails understanding their demographics, interests, and pain points.
2. Hone in on your social media channels: Determine which social media channels your target audience is most active on and establish a presence there. Popular platforms include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others.
3. Develop a content strategy: Your content strategy should focus on crafting engaging, informative, and relevant content that resonates with your target audience. Consider formats such as blog posts, videos, infographics, social media posts, and more.
4. Leverage influencers: Partner with influencers in your industry to promote your products and reach a larger audience. Be sure to choose influencers whose audiences align with your target market.
5. Measure and monitor your results: Run analytics tools to monitor the performance of your social selling strategy and adjust it as needed. Track metrics such as engagement, traffic, leads, and sales to evaluate the success of your efforts.

Wrapping up — Extend your reach with smart social selling best practices

Social selling is a powerful tactic for eCommerce brands to engage with their target audience and attract new buyers. By leveraging social media channels to showcase your products and provide personalized recommendations, you can build strong relationships with your customers and boost sales.

However, you must follow best practices and circumvent common mistakes to find success through this approach. These include being authentic with and nurturing trust in your audience, providing value before asking for a sale, and avoiding pushy or spammy behavior.

A well-structured social selling strategy must align with your eCommerce goals so you can reach your target audience effectively on all the platforms where they’re most active. Remember to track your progress and adjust your strategy as needed to optimize your results. With a smart approach, you’ll increase your brand awareness, grow your customer base, and drive sales.

Social commerce is the integration of social media and eCommerce and has been on the rise in recent years. It allows businesses to sell their products directly through social media platforms, making it easier for consumers to discover and purchase items they see on their feeds. As social media continues to gain prominence in our daily lives, the popularity of social commerce is expected to grow with it.

However, the success of social commerce is about more than convenience or the novelty of purchasing products through social media; there’s a deeper psychological aspect at play that businesses need to understand to leverage the power of this type of commerce effectively. The psychology behind social commerce is ultimately what drives customers to make purchasing decisions, and businesses that tap into these factors can accomplish greater results in this increasingly competitive space.

In this article, we’ll explore the psychology behind social commerce and why it works. We’ll examine the influence of social proof, the power of community, the role of emotions, particularly trust and credibility, and the importance of personalization in social commerce. By understanding these key factors, you can create more effective social commerce strategies and build stronger connections with your customers.

What are social commerce, social influence, and social proof?

Social commerce refers to the use of social media platforms or networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, to facilitate the buying and selling of products or services. It allows businesses to integrate their eCommerce activities with social media to create a seamless shopping experience for customers. Social commerce often involves the use of social media influencers, customer reviews and recommendations, and community building to promote products and drive sales.

Social influence is a powerful factor that impacts our decision-making processes. When we see others doing something, we’re more likely to try it ourselves, especially when we perceive others as similar to us or as authority figures. This influence is particularly strong when it comes to purchasing decisions, as we often look to others to help us decide what products to buy.

Social proof is a phenomenon that leverages social influence to persuade customers to make a purchase. It serves as evidence that other people have already purchased and enjoyed a particular product and can take many forms, including customer reviews, ratings, and recommendations from friends or influencers.

Social proof is used extensively in social commerce, with businesses capitalizing on customer reviews and social media influencers to help convince potential buyers to make a purchase. For example, a clothing brand may showcase photos of customers wearing their clothes on social media, accompanied by glowing reviews and comments from other customers. This creates a sense of community and social proof around the brand, which makes shoppers feel more comfortable about buying.

You can also display customer ratings and reviews on platforms like Amazon. These demonstrate that a product is high quality and worth buying, which is why customers often use them to decide where or not to purchase.

By understanding the psychological power of social influence and social proof, you can wield them strategically to drive more sales and build stronger relationships with your customers.

The power of community

Social commerce and community are a highly fruitful combination. Creating a sense of community around a brand or product fosters customer loyalty, drives sales, and generates positive word-of-mouth advertising. Two powerful ways to achieve this are:

1. Social media groups and communities: These groups bring together people with shared interests and can be used to promote products, answer questions, and provide customer support. By creating a space where customers can interact with each other and the brand, you nurture a sense of belonging and develop a loyal customer base.
2. Social media influencers: Internet celebrities have large followings on social media, and their product endorsements can have a significant impact on sales. Influencers cultivate a sense of community around their brand, using their platform to share their experiences with their followers and strengthen their audience relationship.

Brands like Glossier and Outdoor Voices provide successful examples of community-based social commerce in action. These companies have cultivated strong communities around their brands by using social media to engage with customers and build a sense of shared values and interests. As a resu;t, they generated significant buzz around their products and built a loyal customer base that returns again and again.

Community and social commerce naturally go hand in hand. By fostering a sense of community around your brand, your business can augment its loyal customer base and increase sales through positive word-of-mouth advertising.

The role of emotions and FOMO

Emotions play a significant role in shoppers’ purchasing decisions. They influence their perceptions of a product’s value and can motivate people to buy based on how the product makes them feel.

Social commerce leverages emotions in a number of ways to drive sales. For example, implementing imagery and language that elicit positive emotions like happiness or excitement makes your products more appealing to customers. This can be particularly effective on social media, where visual content and emotional appeals are crucial to standing out in crowded feeds.

A frequently employed emotional tactic in social commerce is FOMO (fear of missing out). FOMO is a feeling of anxiety or unease that arises when we believe others are enjoying experiences or opportunities that we aren’t. Social commerce leverages this phenomenon by inducing a sense of urgency around products so customers feel they need to act quickly to avoid missing out on something special.

Run limited-time promotions, flash sales, or generate scarcity around products to create urgency and FOMO. For instance, you could produce a limited edition product that’s only available for a short time or use language that suggests a product is selling out quickly.

Brands like Apple and Nike successfully capitalize on emotional appeals through the use of powerful imagery and storytelling to establish emotional connections with their customers. By tapping into emotions like inspiration, excitement, or even nostalgia, these companies foster strong bonds with their shoppers and drive more sales.

The importance of personalization in social commerce

Businesses rely on personalization to tailor their marketing messages and product offerings to individual customers. In social commerce, personalization can enhance the consumer experience and increase conversions through several means:

• Targeted advertising: This strategy relies on data from customers’ browsing and purchase history to help businesses create targeted ads that are more likely to resonate with individuals. This gives the impression that the products being offered are tailored specifically to each customer’s interests and needs.
• Personalized product recommendations: By using algorithms to analyze a customer’s past purchases and browsing behavior, you can provide personalized recommendations for products that are likely to interest the customer. This contributes to a more personalized shopping experience and encourages sales.
• Tailored customer service and product customization: These options produce a more engaging and memorable experience for customers, which in turn, increases customer satisfaction and loyalty.

You can see personalization in action through the efforts of Spotify and Netflix, which use personalized recommendations to suggest music and viewing entertainment to individual customers based on their past search behavior. That personalized experience keeps customers engaged and coming back for more.

How trust and credibility grow through social commerce

Trust and credibility are crucial to the success of social commerce. Customers need to feel confident that the products they’re purchasing are of high quality and that the businesses selling them are trustworthy. You can effectively build trust and credibility using tactics such as:

• Customer reviews and ratings: When customers share their experiences with a product, they provide social proof that the items are of high quality and worth purchasing. Shoppers are more likely to believe feedback from other buyers than from brands, so this type of user-generated content (UGC) is highly beneficial for conversions.
• Emphasizing transparency and openness in your business: With ethical considerations becoming more influential among buyers, being honest about your processes, such as your sourcing or manufacturing practices, strengthens trust. Shoppers prefer to support businesses that are responsive and communicative with their customers, so foster a culture of transparency within your own to foster buying confidence in your consumers.
• Leveraging social commerce platforms that prioritize trust and credibility: The marketplace Etsy, for example, focuses on handmade and unique products, while clothing site Poshmark emphasizes community and peer-to-peer selling; as a result, both platforms have developed a strong reputation for trustworthiness and credibility among their user bases.

Wrapping up — Social commerce is a mind game

Social commerce is a rapidly expanding industry that leverages social media to facilitate the buying and selling of products. Its success greatly hinges on the psychology behind consumers’ decision-making, including factors such as social proof, emotions, community, personalization, trust, and credibility.

Understanding that psychological influence and leveraging it correctly is crucial for businesses to profit from social commerce. By incorporating these factors, you can create more effective marketing strategies and build stronger connections with your customers.

As social media continues to gain prominence in our daily lives, businesses that are able to capitalize on social commerce will enjoy a significant advantage in the marketplace.

Can you guess how long the average person spends on social media?

145 minutes per day. That’s over a month each year (36.75 days, to be exact!).

With people increasingly glued to their influencer marketing’s meteoric rise was inevitable.

Creator collaborations play a huge role in driving leads and sales for many businesses, especially eCommerce and retail brands. So much so that 80% of shoppers have made a purchase after an influencer recommended the product.

Like social media apps, the influencer marketing world is constantly changing. Therefore to run engaging and profitable campaigns, you’ll need to keep a keen eye on the trends shaping the industry and use them to adjust your strategy.

To help you get a head start, we’ve compiled the hottest trends set to brace 2023 and some expert tips to hit a home run with your influencer marketing strategy.

Let’s dive in.

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Top influencer marketing trends to watch for 2023

To set your brand up for success with creator collaborations, it’s essential to study the road ahead to create a fitting strategy. Let’s run through the most significant influencer marketing trends for 2023:

Customer acquisition costs continue to rise

Thanks to rising costs, you now need to pay more to play and even more to win in ad channels like pay-per-click. This is clearly bad news for eCommerce brands that use such marketing strategies as their bread and butter for customer acquisition.

Luckily, the influencer marketing industry is not only cost-effective but is still growing and is expected to reach $16.4 billion in 2022. Also, the vast size and variety of the influencer marketing industry can fit any budget. These characteristics make influencer marketing an excellent alternative to get more eyeballs on your products and acquire new customers.

Consumer trust in traditional ads will continue to wane

Fatigue and distrust towards traditional ad channels like celebrity endorsement is fast becoming the norm. Why? People value authenticity and trust suggestions from those they like and trust, which happens to be their friends, family, and influencers.

To put this into perspective, 70% of teens place more trust in creators than in TV personalities and celebrities. To succeed in 2023, you’ll need to pick influencers with great reputations and engaged audiences.

eCommerce platforms get involved in influencer marketing action

We aren’t the only ones who noticed the rise of influencer marketing; leading eCommerce solution providers have caught on too. Shopify and Walmart Marketplace have created influencer connection platforms to make finding and working with the right influencer simpler.

So, if the potential workload had you postponing giving influencer marketing a try, there’s never been a better time to get involved.

Learn more about how to leverage Shopify Collabs to boost your marketing.

Video promotion goes viral

With apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube gaining a global reach with innovative video-led content, creators are finding new ways to bring products to life through video. From short and engaging inspirational reels to engaging and informative unboxing videos, the options for developing a strong brand and showcasing offers are plentiful.

60% of millennials are more inclined to take advice from a YouTuber than a traditional media personality. So tap into different video formats and channels to capture your target customer’s attention in 2023.

Social commerce is on the up and up

More shoppers have started to interact with social shopping opportunities, with avenues such as live shopping and social stores gaining ground fast. As a result, social commerce rakes in $89.4 billion each year worldwide. Brands that can blend their social selling initiatives with influencer marketing will fare well in 2023. Put the social selling trend to the test in 2023 with social selling features on your pages or setting up events and stores with influencers.

What are the benefits of influencer marketing for eCommerce brands?

When you’ve seen success with tried and tested marketing options like pay-per-click ads and email marketing, you may wonder whether you really need to give influencer marketing a try. But influencer is in a league of its own and is a worthwhile investment when executed correctly. Here are some benefits you can look forward to:

• Accelerated sales: Influencer content’s viral potential allows you to turn clicks and likes into sales fast. And with the right strategy, you can produce profitable campaigns time after time.
• Maximize your ad budget: The diverse range of influencers available means you can split your ad budget among different creators, from micro-influencers to celebrities, allowing your cash to go further. This means more cash left over for other campaigns and projects too.
• Make your products more discoverable: 86% of shoppers flock to Instagram to find new products. Influencer marketing campaigns can explode your brand’s reach and give you more chances to convert.
• Unearth new profitable audiences and niches: Influencers cover many niches, industries, and topics. As you work with different influencers, you can find lucrative sub-niches to scale your business.
• Access more user-generated content (UGC): UGC is huge for winning buyers’ trust and building. Influencer marketing provides the ultimate opportunity to build a portfolio.

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How to dominate the checkout with influencer marketing?

To succeed at influencer marketing, you’ll need a realistic budget, some creativity, and a curious spirit. Once you’ve checked these off your list, it’s time to put together a winning strategy. Let’s cover some steps to take:

Choose your social media channels and influencers wisely

If you want to hit it big with influencer marketing, you must get two things right: your platform options and influencer selections.

Platforms

With 60% of shoppers taking to Instagram to find new products and 500,000 influencers on the platform, Instagram is the go-to platform for creator campaigns.

But don’t stop at Instagram. Research other platforms your target customer spends time on and test them with small campaigns. Double down on the niches, audiences, and stories that work and cull those that don’t resonate. Some social media platforms you can experiment with include:

• TikTok
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Twitter

Influencers

Who you work with will play a huge role in determining whether your influencer campaigns are a hit or miss. Some areas to ensure you and the creator are the right fit are:

• Brand look and feel
• Mission and beliefs
• Audience members

Tell great stories to increase engagement

People learn and connect through stories. So, naturally, the best influencer campaign has a captivating storyline that hooks viewers in and encourages them to learn more. To craft your own scroll-stopping storylines, use your product’s unique value proposition as a guide and expand from there.

For example, say you own a vegan, celiac-friendly snack line. You could share your customers’ stories on how their quality of life has improved by having access to more delicious snacks that won’t harm their health. You could also use any charitable initiatives you’re involved with to share how your products are making a positive impact.

Repurpose influencer and UGC content into ads

Mixing influencer and customer-generated content from your campaigns into a PPC ad is a fantastic way to increase your reach. It also maximizes your influencer content utilization to help you squeeze more conversion out of them. There are many content formats you can request from customers and influencers. For best results, start with:

• Videos (Short, Reels, and long-form)
• Testimonials and reviews
• Photos

Test collaborations with micro-influencers

When it comes to who makes up influencer marketing space, micro-influencers take the top spot, with their market share hitting 91% in 2021 and still growing. So, take this opportunity to find creators that match each of the customer personas you target.

You can also find micro-influencers in niches you’re eager to break into or have products launching in soon. For instance, if you have a fitness brand but hope to break into swimwear, you can find micro-influencers in these niches and test them simultaneously.

Mesh influencer marketing content into your social stores

Social stores are growing in popularity and are the perfect place to house some of your well-crafted influencer content. You can even take things up a notch by working with creators to be the cover of a collection or item in your portfolio and share the news via the influencers page to drive even more eyeballs to your social shop.

Leverage influencer marketing tools

Whether you aim to stay local or want to deliver multi-territory campaigns, there are tools available that help you find and monitor the influencer partners, store contracts and agreements organized, payouts, and more.

Examine what areas you need help with and use tech solutions to fill the gaps. Here are a few to help set up and run your first campaigns:

• Discovery and collaboration platforms: Shopify Collabs, Pixlee, Phlanx
• Campaign design and management: Grin, CreatorIQ, AspireIQ

Make the cash register ring with influencer marketing

In 2023, a new breed of influencer marketing is coming to a screen near you. To ensure your campaigns are relevant and engaging, get up to speed on developing trends now, tweak your tactics, and start testing.

Remember, people flock to social media to engage with their network and find new and interesting things. Keep these reasons at the forefront of your mind when planning campaigns, so they feel authentic and people-centered rather than sales-y.

Finally, involve your target customer in your influencer campaigns to drive reach and engagement and make it easy for potential buyers to take the next step, whether it’s signing up for an email list or buying your products.

Soon you’ll have another profitable marketing strategy you can depend on to scale your business to new heights.

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Pulling in over 237 million daily users and $5.07 billion in revenue (92% of which came from ad sales), Twitter is a social media titan in its own right.

But when it comes to driving eCommerce sales, Twitter is still a relatively untapped opportunity. This is fantastic news if you’re scaling an online store, especially as the eCommerce market becomes more competitive.

So, what’s Twitter for eCommerce all about?

In this post, we’ll explore what using Twitter for online selling looks like and how to use this bustling channel to catapult your eCommerce business to new heights.

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3 unmatched ways Twitter can help you exceed business goals

Every ambitious eCommerce brand has huge goals, whether it’s making your brand a household name or building a mega product portfolio. Chances are you’re one of them and searching for the next idea to give your business a competitive edge. Twitter may be the undercover opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Let’s run through some ways Twitter can help you crush targets:

1. Drive more engagement

Getting more leads is essential for improving your close rate. It all starts with healthy engagement rates on your marketing content to spur shoppers to learn more. As prospects and customers talk about your brand, it extends your business’ reach. As a result, you’ll create a continuous loop of brand discovery and have more people kickstarting their buyer’s journey.

2. Expand to new customer bases

Few things compare to the thrill of finding a new, profitable audience to market to. You can not only skyrocket growth but can also find your next winning product and increase your business’ market share. Also, if you partner with influencers, you can tap into even more sub-niches. For example, if you’re selling direct to consumers, you can look out for more B2B clients working with influencers in the space since 82% of B2B content creators use Twitter.

3. Build a noticeable brand voice

One of the great things about Twitter is that it allows you to have a say on topics like no other social media site. As you share your brand personality, knowledge, and advice, you can become the go-to authority in your niche statement and attract your tribe.

Take Walmart, for example. Scroll through their Twitter profile, and you’ll instantly notice their fun, upbeat branding. Walmart also positions itself as a customer-centric brand by highlighting its customer support in its bio and sharing details on panel discussions about areas like Fashion and baby care.

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How to use Twitter to explode eCommerce growth

To use Twitter for your eCommerce business successfully, it’s vital you have the know-how, resources, and creativity. We’ve got you covered on the knowledge front. Let’s dive into some steps you can take to make Twitter marketing a winner:

Polish your profile

Your profile is your business’ online real estate, and the first thing potential customers will land, so make it count. Implement the following pointers to optimize your profile:

• Profile picture: Use your company logo or photo of your most popular item to make your brand instantly recognizable.
• Bio: Write a killer brand description highlighting your USP, shout out your current product drops, or let customers know about exciting initiatives you have coming.
• Relevant link: Add a link to your bestselling item, about us page, or top-performing landing page. Split test and change your link according to your running promos and ads.
• Community: Invest time in building a following of your target audience. Reach out to people that fit your target customer personas, be active in your comments sections, and follow influential figures to build a network.
• Competitor analysis: Check out who your competitors are following for guidance on who to follow, engage with, and topics to cover.

Research relevant keywords and hashtags

Hashtags will be critical in getting more eyeballs on your Twitter content. Create a list of broad keywords to start your search, and use a hashtag research tool like Hashtagify, Sprout Social, or Agorapulse to find more specific hashtags. Some things you can use to generate hashtag ideas include:

• Trending topics and pop culture
• Words shoppers use to describe your products
• Words customers use when explaining the issues your products solve

Also, if you want to drive a sense of community, support a cause, or create a buzz around a launch, use a branded hashtag. For example, the makeup brand Nars Cosmetics uses a clever play on words to build a community under the hashtag #NARSissist.

Develop engaging content

Your Twitter feed offers the opportunity to stand out and shine. Use it to entertain, educate, and inspire your audience. Make your content the star of the show, by creating a content calendar and scheduling posts to stay consistent and build momentum with the algorithms. Here are some tips to fill your timeline with awe-inspiring content:

• Give out useful tips and tricks, and make bold statements. Most Twitter users appreciate brands that stand for something and don’t sit on the fence.
• Blend fun content with inspiring imagery – take ASOS’s lead, who share memes and jokes alongside crisp snaps of their latest fashion drops.
• Share user-generated content to show off your product’s best features and how they have benefitted your customers.
• Mix in images, videos, and links from other content creators.
• Don’t be afraid to repurpose content from other social channels.
• Work with influencers to drive awareness. Test different storylines, influencer audience sizes, and styles to branch out into new markets and attract different customer types.

Work the Twitter Chat for more conversions

Use Twitter’s direct messaging feature to get to know your audience and build rapport. For example, if you get a new follower, you could thank them by offering a discount code and share you appreciate their support. Keep your communications light, short and relevant to avoid coming across as a spammer, sales-y, or intrusive.

Take advantage of Twitter shopping features

Twitter has a few eCommerce functions you can experiment with to find the best fit for your brand. Check out each one’s features below and select a tool or two to kickstart your selling journey on the Twitter platform:

Shop Spotlight (previously the Shop Module)

Use this dedicated carousel to showcase up to 5 products on your Twitter profile.  Shoppers can scroll through the content, and the photos are clickable, allowing you to “spotlight” and drive traffic to specific items.

Twitter Shops

Build a mobile-optimized storefront for free with up to 50 items and draw prospects towards it with the enticing “View Shop” button that’ll appear on your Twitter Profile. Note, Shoppers will have to pay for items off Twitter on a separate payment portal, but it’s an exciting start to social commerce on Twitter.

Live Shopping

Get real and raw with your shopping experience by hosting a live shopping event like the late-night shopping shows of the early nineties. Twitter will house the photos, details, and links to the showcased products under the video to access shoppers easily. Twitter also has engagement-boosting features like a live tweet discussion feed, a “Shop” banner and tab, and a “latest” product tab.

Product Drops

Get shoppers excited about your upcoming product launches with this hype-generating feature. Your images and videos will appear in your audience member’s Twitter feed, and they can set product alerts to get notified when your items are available for sale.

Tip: Don’t forget to optimize your fulfillment process to accommodate sales from your Twitter marketing. If you don’t have the resources to complete this in-house, get help from a reliable 3PL.

Implement Sponsored Tweets

While generating organic leads on Twitter is great for keeping margins high, building a stable flow can take a while. Use sponsored tweets to boost your content’s reach and accelerate lead generation.

Since Twitter will charge you every 1000 impressions, it’s vital you’re strategic in your ad setup. Use sponsored ads to drive awareness and engagement, luring funnel shoppers into a sequence of Twitter like an email marketing campaign. This approach will be a more affordable way to build connections with your target and drive conversions.

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Turn Twitter into a goldmine

As Twitter’s eCommerce initiatives lurk behind the shadows of uber-popular Instagram, Tiktok, and Pinterest shops, it’s easy to overlook this fantastic opportunity. eCommerce businesses that have taken a chance on Twitter have exploded their customer base, strengthened their brands, diversified their marketing streams, and boosted sales. So with some creativity, experimentation, and strategic hashtagging, there’s no telling what 280-character tweets can do for your eCommerce business.

Due to the nature of Twitter, being successful on this social channel as an eCommerce business will take some work. Study your market, learn how your target customers operate on Twitter and test various content styles and topics to build a winning strategy. Soon you’ll have a successful Twitter marketing strategy that keeps shoppers coming through your online doors, card in hand.

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Need a way for your eCommerce brand to stand out? Turn your attention to acquiring and sharing social proof. From glowing product reviews to heartfelt customer shoutouts, social proof is one of the most effective ways to get your target customer’s attention, build trust and close more sales.

82% of consumers have purchased, researched, or thought about buying after seeing friends, family, or influencers post about something. To help you take advantage of this underutilized hack, in this post, we’ll dive into what social proof is and what it’s not. We’ll also highlight why getting social proof should be a priority when scaling and share some ways to secure attention-grabbing social proof.

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What is social proof exactly?

Social proof is a term born from the idea social influence impacts the way people behave, swaying their beliefs and breeding conformity. In action, this could look like getting a recommendation from a friend for a coffee brand you’ve never heard of and taking a chance on them by purchasing.

Social proof comes in many shapes and forms, which brands mix and match. Some formats useful for eCommerce marketing include:

• Reviews
• Word of mouth referral
• Video and text testimonials
• Professional recommendations, e.g., A doctor’s sign off

Each type of social proof will carry different authority levels depending on whether a third party generated it and who your target is. For instance, recommendations from an employee on your website will be met with less enthusiasm than a review from a fellow shopper on a regulated review site. Telling the world about your product’s benefits isn’t social proof and falls more into the broader marketing category.

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3 Reasons why social proof is a must-have for eCommerce brands

Perhaps your products have viral status, and more people are hearing about your brand each day or you may have mature sales and marketing strategies that have sales pouring in. Either way, it can be challenging to see the value of social proof as anything more than an acknowledgment of your hard work. But social proof can help your brand in many ways. Let’s run through a few:

1) Gain new shopper’s trust

Want to know one of the top things social proof generates for your brand?

Confidence.

Knowing a product has been tested and approved by peers reduces the perceived risk factor of buying, making shoppers more open to learning about your brand and completing the checkout process pause-free.

Recommendations and reviews can also reduce buyers’ remorse when shared as part of your post-sale marketing. These are just some of the reasons reviews play a critical role in a product’s success on a marketplace and why platforms like Amazon have had early reviewer programs and now the Vine program.

2) Improve conversions

Reviews don’t just make your brand look good; they make its bank balance, Average Order Value, and Customer Lifetime Value healthier. For example, Social proof can increase conversions by as much as 270%, and higher-priced products can benefit from a jump of up to 380%. Also, shoppers are likely to spend 31% more when a brand has fantastic reviews.

3) Boost brand authority

Social proof from the right people and in the correct quantity can take a brand from an unknown newbie to a rising star. And, if you’re an established player in the eCommerce world, getting shoppers’ approval tells other consumers why you’ve stood the test of time. In other words, the more social proof your brand acquires, its brand authority becomes stronger.

How to generate social proof on autopilot

No matter what audience size you have, you can garner social proof to drive more leads and sales. You’ll need a well-thought-out game plan to acquire different types of social proof. To get started, here are some ways you can gather reviews, shoutouts, recommendations, and more:

Run giveaways and contests

Giveaways aren’t just great ways to build your email list; they’re also a great way to garner social proof. For example, say you have a teeth whitening line, you could create a competition for your customers, offering 6 month’s worth of products for the best:

• Before and after pics
• Selfies with and displays of your products
• Answers on why they love a particular item

Partner with influencers

Social proof produces the best result when you take a blended approach. So break away from the norm and trial different content types to create social proof with influencer marketing:

• Q&A sessions
• Diary style/day-in-the-life content
• Inspirational images and short video clips (e.g., for social media reels)
• Social media takeovers
• Meetups for your most loyal followers to meet their favorite content creators
• Share seals of approval from regulated bodies and industry experts (e.g., FDA, doctors)

Top tip: Not sure how to execute an influencer campaign? Check out brands in different niches with a winning strategy like Showpo, GymShark, and Frank Body.

Incentivize customer content creation from customers

Despite 9 out of 10 consumers reading reviews before making a purchase, on average, just 10% leave reviews. So sometimes, even your loyal customers need a little nudge to get talking. Give shoppers a reason to leave honest reviews by giving perks that they’ll be interested in. For example, you could offer a discount code, unlock a special deal on their next purchase or offer loyalty points.

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5 simple ways to drive conversions with social proof

Now that you know how to create different forms of social proof, the next step is to position them to supercharge conversions. Here are some ways you can fill your sales funnels and pockets with social proof:

1) Embed social proof into your web design

A fantastic way to get social proof in front of your potential customers is to mix it into your web design. Examine other brands’ social proof strategies for inspiration on how to present it in a way that’s native to the sales platform. For example, if you have a website, you could:

• Have a page dedicated to reviews and testimonials.
• Add a widget to product description pages to list reviews for the associated product.
• Place reviews on your landing page and in email designs.

 2) Blend social proof into your social media strategy

Give your reviews, recommendations, and testimonials the shine they deserve by displaying them on your social channels. Test different formats like video, star ratings, and text to find which style resonates the best. Don’t forget to add a call to action for shoppers to buy the item and a link to the product in your bio to increase conversions.

Look through comments sections for shoutouts and impromptu testimonials your fans may leave on product posts and request permission from them too. Also, take note of how shoppers display their social proof for more ideas to trial.

3) Use case studies for wholesale account outreach

Whether it’s a sell-out launch, a 3-month long wait list, or increased profits, sharing case studies from your wholesale and corporate accounts can help you attract more customers.  Zoom in on crucial stats representing the positive changes your brand has brought other businesses and include positive quotes from customers to provide additional context and validity. You can also include snapshots from case studies in your outreach and adverts to up your meeting booking rate and account sign-ups.

 4) Highlight key numbers

There are some instances where tooting your own horn is entirely acceptable, and sharing your store’s most impressive milestones is one of them. So if you’ve secured 0 to $1 million in 60 days, 100,000 customers, 5 years in business, or something similar, it’s time to let the world know. This tactic will uplevel your brand value in consumers’ eyes, inspiring them to start their customer journey. Some other achievements you can share include:

• Amount of positive reviews
• Units sold
• Units remaining

5) Get social media verified

Something about that little blue ticket on a social media profile makes people stop and pay attention. Yet verification is an overlooked way to showcase brand notoriety. So, research which social platforms your ideal shoppers spend the most time on and take action to get your brand verified on them. If you don’t have the time to dedicate to this task, hire a social media marketing agency to help you achieve the respected verified status.

Be the brand shoppers rave about

Gone are the days when shoppers formed their buying habits solely on word of mouth; social proof has gone digital. From online reviews to influencer mentions and expert recommendations, consumers are becoming more comfortable with the online vetting of products and brands.

With the right approach for gathering and distributing social proof, you can get more eyes on your stores, improve your product’s perceived value, and upgrade your brand’s reputation.

So start today. Collect and share notes, pictures, and videos from happy customers and share them with the world. Soon your products will be selling themselves with a trail of satisfied customers in tow.

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Whether you are an eCommerce newbie or a seasoned professional, it’s imperative for business owners to connect with other professionals, experts, and potential partners. These connections and opportunities to network are invaluable when it comes to learning more about the industry, seeking or sharing advice, and growing your business.

However, reaching the right people can be challenging. Social networking apps like LinkedIn make it easier to meet and connect with new people. However, these platforms don’t always make instant messaging easy and it’s more difficult to communicate at scale. Then, there are in-person networking events, workshops, and conferences, although these can be costly and time-consuming endeavors. Fortunately, in today’s ever-digital world, there are platforms like Slack available to help you get better connected.

If you aren’t currently using Slack, here’s what you need to know along with 6 eCommerce Slack Communities to join.

What is Slack?

Slack is a messaging app for businesses that connects professionals to the information they need. It’s faster, think instant messaging, better organized, and even more secure than email. This makes it perfect for communicating with your team, vendors, or like-minded business professionals.

At its core, Slack is a tool for collaboration and conversation. This enables people to exchange instant messages privately, in group settings or “channels”. Similar to email, you can attach files, share photos, and, perhaps best of all, you can communicate entirely with GIFs. What more could you ask for?

Unlike social media and social networking platforms like LinkedIn, Slack is designed with communication in mind. Think of it like ICQ, but for professionals. When Slack first came onto the scene, it was used exclusively by teams as an intra-office communications platform, but the technology has evolved in recent years. Now, Slack can be used for both intra-office communications and for external communications, such as Slack Communities.

What are Slack Communities?

Remember the old-school forums? Slack Communities are similar, except better and more engaging.

Slack Communities are digital congregations, similar to Facebook Groups but with an instant messaging component. Unlike Facebook Groups, Slack enables file transfers and direct peer-peer calling (which, of course, you can do with Facebook friends via Messenger). There are hundreds of Slack Communities dedicated to every topic under the sun.

Within Slack Communities, you’ll find #Channels which are group discussions with dedicated topics (like General, Marketing, Advice, Water cooler/random chats, and more). When you join a Community, you have the option to join all or some of the channels available. Most communities will request that you not add new channels without prior consent from Community Managers. These managers are usually available to help you find the channels best suited for your needs.

Why join Slack Communities?

Slack’s eCommerce communities are perfect for gaining practical knowledge and connecting and networking with other eCommerce professionals. Through these communities, eCommerce merchants and developers can engage with one another to learn, share, and celebrate successes.

In many Slack communities, events like Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions are held featuring experts who can answer questions, share experiences, and offer up useful advice. These events provide an up-close-and-personal look into the lives of industry experts and leading eCommerce professionals to help you expand your knowledge and grow your business.

If it’s advice and opinions you’re seeking, Slack communities are a great place to poll your peers.

Reasons to use Slack Communities include:

Hiring

Slack Communities can be a great way to find new hires for your growing eCommerce business or to find companies or individuals, with whom you can partner for specific business needs like marketing, logistics, or even HR.

Advice

Give a little, take a little. Slack Communities are a gold mine for eCommerce professionals seeking advice for all manners of things related to running an online business. In fact, there are Slack Communities designed solely for sharing best practices and advice on everything you need to know about eCommerce!

Marketing

From peer-to-peer marketing amongst community members to staying on top of current marketing trends, content creation, or learning more about marketing in general, Slack Communities are a great place for all of the above and more.

Collaboration Opportunities

Finding new ways to add value to your existing customers can be a full-time job. Fortunately, collaboration is made much easier with Slack Communities. From joining forces for unique digital shopping experiences to co-hosting pop-up shops in local communities, Slack Community networking can lead to an abundance of collaboration opportunities.

Market expansion

When you’re considering expanding into new markets, either geographically or in terms of products for sale, it can be daunting to determine your next steps. Slack Communities can be a wealth of information about different markets and can help you find support in new areas too.

Suppliers/Vendors or Partners Discovery

If you’re looking for new partners, Slack Communities might be the ticket. Connect with suppliers, vendors, third-party logistics partners, marketing firms, and even influencers through the myriad of Slack communities specific to eCommerce.

6 eCommerce Slack Communities to join

Now that you know why you should consider joining a Slack Community, you might be wondering where to begin. If you don’t already have a Slack account, that will be your first step! Get signed up for Slack by signing up with your business email (or use their Single Sign-On with Google or Apple).

There are a lot of Slack Communities out there and deciding which ones to join can be overwhelming. Here are a few of our favorites:

Drip’s Ecomm-unity

Drip is a marketing platform that enables eCommerce brands to run multi-channel marketing campaigns quickly and easily by gathering and organizing customer data. The product allows brands to make personalized, omnichannel customer journeys at scale to improve conversions, boost sales, and grow revenue.

The Drip Ecomm-unity is a curated community of Drip experts, eCommerce industry professionals, founders, and international operators from some of the coolest eCommerce brands, email, SMS marketers, and creative thinkers. The Ecomm-unity features several useful channels including:

• #EcommEssentials: everything eCommerce-related
• #Troubleshooting: the place for Q&A, support, and more
• #ChitChat: a space for conversation – casual or otherwise!
• #EmailMarketing: a space to discuss email workflows, bounce rates, abandoned carts, and more
• #SMS: a place to talk text marketing

Shopify Partners Community

Arguably no one knows eCommerce quite like Shopify. If you aren’t familiar with Shopify, it’s an eCommerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. It’s cloud-based and hosted and provides a seamless, all-in-one platform to support eCommerce businesses from the creation of an online store, right through to the close of a sale.

The Shopify Partners Slack Community is for app developers, theme developers, Shopify agencies, and other ecosystem partners who work towards enabling merchants. This is a huge community that’s very active and includes members from all over the world. It’s also the official channel for Shopify Partner Townhalls. To join the Partner Community, you must have an email registered with an official Shopify Partner.

Not a Shopify Partner? Don’t sweat it. There’s the Shopify Community too! The Slack Community brings together fellow Shopify store owners, partners, Shopify team members, mentors, and educators. It’s a space to share ideas, learn from one another, brainstorm, and just connect. You can apply to join the Shopify Community using your personal or business email, with business being preferred. There are no anonymous members, so be sure to include your business name and your full name when you request. It’s also important to include all of this information on Slack when you join.

eCommerce Academy Community

The Slack eCommerce Academy is a global community of founders, entrepreneurs, and eCommerce professionals that learn how to build, grow, and scale eCommerce businesses together.

The most popular channels include:

• #General: The Marketplace Academy, where founders, entrepreneurs, and fans of marketplaces get together and discuss everything there is to talk about when it comes to online marketplaces.
• #Founders: A channel dedicated to learning, teaching, discovering, and sharing tips, articles, and experiences as it relates to founders’ experiences.
• #Hiring: If you’re looking to build or expand your team, learn about hiring, or simply network, this is the eCommerce Academy channel for you.
• #Pains: We’ve all got them! This is the channel for airing your woes and troubleshooting solutions.
• #GrowthHacking: The channel for anyone seeking to grow their business.

eComm Talk Community

eComm Talk is a Shopify lovers’ community where Shopify users and enthusiasts can connect, ask and answer questions, and make lasting relationships with colleagues.

Some of the channels you’ll find include:

• #AMA: The Ask Me Anything space where AMAs are held periodically, featuring Shopify experts.
• #Development: A general chat channel dedicated to the topic of development. Expect to see questions and discussions related to dev work and get answers to your dev questions here.
• #Marketing: If you want to discuss your marketing efforts and how to level them up, this is the channel for you. Learn how to better market your stores/apps, share your best tips, and boost your sales.
• #Themes: Shopify themes deserve their own channel! Join this channel if you want to talk about theme creation, selling themes, or troubleshooting theme development.
• #Jobs: Hiring? Looking for a new role? This is the channel for you!

CRO Growth Hacks Community

OMetrics is a leader in affordable AI chatbots and conversion rate optimization tools and services specializing. The company specializes in chatbots, lead bots, business lead generation, and A/B conversion optimization testing for eCommerce sites. In short: they’re in the business of helping you grow.

It’s no surprise, that the OMetrics CRO Growth Hacks is a Slack community dedicated to all things growth via CRO, SEM, SEO, email, business strategy, and everything in between.

You’ll find channels like:

• #General: The everyday, general conversation space for team-wide communication and announcements.
• #CRO_hacks: Conversion Rate Optimization is the name of the game here. Learn about CRO hacks to level up your landing pages, email campaigns, and website.
• #SEO_hacks: Ready to take your search engine optimization even higher? This channel is for discussing SEO best practices and hacks, sharing wins, and asking questions.
• #Business_hacks: From business strategy to pivoting your company, questions about employee management, and even more, this is the channel for all of your overall business needs.
• #Site_Critique: Want some constructive criticism? You can drop your website’s URL in this channel to request insights and feedback from peers and experts.

Online Geniuses Community

If you’re unfamiliar with Online Geniuses, they’re one of the biggest SEO and digital marketing Slack communities out there! This community is dedicated to helping members improve their SEO and digital marketing to realize a greater return on those investments and grow their businesses through sharing and connection.

Online Geniuses has more than 35,000 vetted members of its global community including VPs, CMOs, freelancers, consultants, and agency owners from every corner of the digital marketing ecosystem. They regularly host Q&A sessions with industry experts to deliver valuable information to members on topics of interest running the full gamut of digital marketing.

Wrapping Up

Slack Communities are an effective way for eCommerce professionals to connect with and learn from their merchant counterparts, industry experts, developers, and other professionals involved in the various areas of the eCommerce ecosystem. You can join as many or as few Slack Communities as you choose, based on your unique interests and business needs.

By joining Slack Communities, you can build your skills, grow your business, and even make some friends along the way.