by Joshua Hobson
Social media and eCommerce are intertwining more and more each year. Social companies are introducing new features which make it easier for users to purchase products whilst on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. There have been some new additions to the social landscape lately which are being trialled so if you are an eCommerce company, it might be worth looking into your social media strategy to ensure that you make the most of every opportunity.
Social media and eCommerce are intertwining more and more each year. Social companies are introducing new features which make it easier for users to purchase products whilst on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. There have been some new additions to the social landscape lately which are being trialled so if you are an eCommerce company, it might be worth looking into your social media strategy to ensure that you make the most of every opportunity.
What is #AmazonBasket?
This was introduced a few months back and we wrote a blog post all about it when it first came to light. Put simply, if users see a tweet which includes a link to an Amazon product then they can reply to the tweet with #AmazonBasket (or #AmazonCart in the US) and it will be added to their shopping cart on the Amazon site.
In principle, this feature was a definite push towards social commerce, but it doesn’t look as though users have reacted as well as Twitter and Amazon had hoped. It would have been a lot more effective if users could directly buy from Twitter instead of adding it to their basket, something which they are now looking into …
What’s in store for ‘Buy’ Buttons?
Twitter are now trialling a ‘buy’ button so in the next few months it could be interesting to see how companies are implementing this in their social strategy. In short, companies can tweet out a product and with a few technical implementations they could add a ‘buy’ button to that tweet and then users could purchase directly from that tweet. This could potentially drive a lot more impulsive sales and added revenue for companies.
Facebook started trialling a similar feature a few weeks back so it looks like social sites are seriously considering these ‘buy’ buttons.
For the project, Twitter are partnering with some select companies and celebrities to promote certain products - i.e. Burberry and Rihanna, so it seems that the button won’t be available for all companies, at least not yet.
They are currently only trialling the function with some mobile users in the US but it seems that they will roll it out on desktop in the near future. This is all in the very early stages so don’t start changing your social strategy drastically this week but it’s something to consider for the future - if you are an eCommerce site, will Twitter be the place to be?
Should you be on social media if you are an eCommerce company?
Social media is becoming more powerful in generating leads for your business. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are becoming effective search engines for users to find new brands so it could be a marketing strategy worth looking into, especially for eCommerce businesses. Let us know on Facebook or Twitter - would you use the ‘buy’ button if you were a customer? If you wouldn’t, what would stop you?
