How to Keep Up With Social Media as It Shapes E-Commerce

The mass adoption of social media has been one of the most significant changes of the past century. Being able to witness how the internet has evolved is something I’m very grateful for because I’ve been able to see how it changes and influences everyday life. From how we communicate to democratizing access to information, social media is no longer a nice-to-have tool but an essential aspect of any business strategy. This is especially true for e-commerce.

Many experts and entrepreneurs have recognized the relevance of social media in the e-commerce industry, giving birth to the term social commerce. This term refers to the integration of e-commerce businesses into social media, which platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have added in recent years.

Back in June of 2021, Facebook announced that more than 300 million people were making use of its marketplace feature. Now, Facebook is working on expanding its e-commerce efforts, which seems like a smart investment as online profit continues to increase.

With social media being a fast-changing space, keeping up with the latest online customer service trends can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Let’s take a look at how you can keep up.

Trying to get in contact with a business and finding they only use one social media platform to communicate can be extremely irritating. What’s worse is when it’s a platform I don’t use. It’s almost like the green versus blue texting bubbles between Android and Apple users, it can be a little jarring to see something that’s different.

When I’m advising entrepreneurs, I suggest that they make the user experience as smooth as possible by meeting them on the social media platforms where they spend their time. If you limit yourself to offering customer support solely via Whatsapp and Facebook, for example, you could be missing people that moved to other platforms like Telegram, Signal, and Discord.

By opening multiple communication channels, you will ensure that people can interact with your business or brand at any time. This will not only result in more leads, but it should also increase customer satisfaction.

The increasing relevance of social commerce has resulted in many people specializing in getting to know the ins and outs of social media’s impact on e-commerce. If you are not familiar with how social media works, how to create or integrate accounts in different platforms, or set up automation tools, I recommend following and consulting with industry leaders.

I’ve noticed certain companies making a name for themselves by offering expert support. For example, GROW AI focuses on creating AI-powered chatbots specifically designed to help other businesses within the e-commerce industry. I learned about this company from an interview with the founder, Liziana Carter. From automating Messenger, Instagram, and Whatsapp direct messages to providing unique insights on customer bases, they’ve been changing how businesses approach e-commerce.

By watching how other companies are innovating, I learn about trends and new ways to approach how I do things. The e-commerce realm is competitive and fast, and it can be hard to keep up.