The whole concept of social commerce combines online shopping with social media activity. From time immemorial, shopping has been a social experience. We love to talk to friends about what we wish to buy and enjoy sharing our shopping experiences. The many benefits of online shopping are well known. People love the wide and varied range of products and services that they can choose from. What they love even more, is the fact that they can compare brands and products with just a few clicks.
Value for money
Social commerce ensures that consumers are able to buy products that offer value for money. People like to speak to friends or even strangers about products that they consider buying. Whether it is a service they wish to hire or a new brand that has gained popularity, the average consumer prefer to ask his or her friends for recommendations and advice. This usually means that they …

 
One of the questions that often leave marketing teams perplexed is what their target audiences really want. Use social media to interact with them and to gain an up close understanding of your customers. Social commerce offers both businesses and customers many advantages. It allows customers to shop while they catch up with their friends on social media sites. Most people, irrespective of where they live and what they do, are often too busy to drive to the stores or to the mall, to buy products of their interest. This makes social commerce precious.
Convenience for all
One of the biggest reasons why social commerce is such a hit amongst social media users of varied demographic groups is the convenience that it offers. Teenagers love to shop for fashionable products and love to share information about their shopping with their friends. They can even get their bag of sweets on facebook.
Busy …

The country’s large and small grocers are on facebook. They are on it for the same reason that every other business is, to increase their business. Grocers realize that their patrons spend more time on facebook, than they do reading the daily newspaper. And hence, to make an impact they have facebook fan pages that are monitored and managed rather well.
Increasing sales
Buying groceries is somewhere on top of one’s list of not-fun activities. However, grocers hope that they can make the experience more fun and interesting by getting their customers involved.  Planning meals in advance makes it easier and quicker to shop for groceries. It also helps customers take stock on health and fitness issues and reduces the chances of ordering in food. The discount coupons and offers at the local grocer can help customers plan their meals and save money at the same time. Walmart has a special section, Meal Solutions …

Social commerce is here to stay. The increasing numbers of businesses that have facebook storefronts are a testament to this fact. Brands are using the social network not just to interact with their target audiences and to promote their products but to sell them too. Some of the top brands on facebook that also sell through facebook shops include the following.
Lady Gaga
The music and entertainment industry were amongst the first brands to realise the potential of f-commerce. The Lady Gaga store offers everything related to the brand including her music, t-shirts, sunglasses, jewellery and accessories. The facebook store is amongst the most liked storefronts on facebook.
P&G
Procter & Gamble uses facebook to reach out to its customers and to promote its many brands on the social media site. Some of the company’s brands that have facebook stores include Tide, Pampers and Gillette. The brand is well known for …

 
Social media can be used to improve brand recognition and to stay in touch with customers. The versatility of social media cannot be undermined. It can be used to advertise products, sell them on the social network and also to improve customer service. If your business is unable to elicit a response from the target audience, perhaps, it is time to tweak your social media strategy.
Creating a social media strategy
It is important to create a social media strategy that matches the requirements of your business. Whether you wish to improves sales at your facebook storefront or gain the trust of your fans, the facebook shop and page should be designed for maximum impact. It is important that your facebook shop is customized for your business. The products should be displayed so that it is easy for visitors to peruse.
An app such as Storefront Social will help your …

Social commerce is commerce that uses social media interaction to promote the sale of products and services. In some cases, the social media site may simply elicit enough interest to improve the online sales of a brand or a website. In other instances, customers may actually be able to shop on the social network and not have to leave it to make a transaction. This is possible with f-commerce.
Shopping-the social experience
Social commerce is synonymous with words such as convenience. You can shop from the privacy of your home or even when you are on the move. With hectic work and life routines people have little time to shop. Given a chance they would like to order the products of their choice and have them home delivered. This is not just for grocery shopping for the week, but also for products that are the latest fad. Social commerce takes the marketplace to …

Some business managers may be concerned about why some facebook stores achieve more success than others. The secret to why some brands sell more on facebook than others lies in their marketing on facebook strategy. It is crucial for businesses to stay true to themselves rather than reinvent their brand identity on the social media site.
Staying honest to the brand identity
Disney is an excellent example of a brand that understands its target audience. The brand captures the sense of nostalgia that makes it such a spectacular hit with people of all age groups. It frequently posts pictures and comments on its wall, and fans respond whole heartedly. It focuses on its upcoming features, as well as the many films that have made it a household name.
Using technology to your advantage
A key to social commerce success is to keep up with technological advancements and to use it to meet the business’ goals.  Disney …

In a business world, where some businesses are still apprehensive of using social media and investing in social commerce, Coca Cola seems to have understood how to make the most of it. The brand has developed a unique social media strategy, one that is based on moving from ‘creative excellence’ to ‘content excellence’. It has realized that irrespective of the demographics of the target audience, content has and always will be the most important marketing element.
The campaign of the decade
The brand’s focus is on storytelling, an art that is practiced in every culture. The business intends to use social media to allow fans and customers to share their thoughts and experiences. It plans to create content that is so contagious that its spread would be uncontrolled, and hence, it terms it as ‘liquid content’. This content will then be ‘linked’ to the company’s goals and policies.
Over the next few years

Facebook information and statistics that affect social commerce
If you don’t have social media presence on facebook or rarely access your account here is some information and statistics that you should consider.

There are over 800 million facebook users. Of this number the social network added 200 million users in 2011.
72% of internet users in the US are facebook users. This essentially means that most of your target audience is on the network.
The fastest growing demographic group on facebook is the 18-24 year old section.
The 35+ age group now accounts for over 30% of facebook users.
70% of facebook users are outside of the US. Thus, when you open a facebook store you are getting ready to sell globally.
48% of facebook users of the 18-34 age group check their facebook account when they get up in the morning. And, 28% log into their account from their iPhones, even before they get out of their beds.
The fastest growing demographic …

Learn social media lessons from three top brands
Individuals and businesses can learn a lot by studying others. This is also true for social media marketing. Whether you are planning a social media strategy or wondering what you did wrong with marketing on facebook, you can benefit from studying how the top brands use social media effectively.
Staying true to your brand
When you study the top brands on social media, you will understand that every business needs to make social commerce and media choices that work well for it. This essentially means that the same formula may not work for everyone. It is vital that you stay true and consistent with your brand identity.
Also, every social media site such as twitter and facebook needs to be handled differently. For instance, you will need to use your words carefully for a tweet, as you have limited characters that can be used. On the …