How social media and e-commerce are driving powerful new consumer experiences

Topic: How social media and e-commerce are driving powerful new consumer experiences

As global lockdowns begin to ease, global digital immersion has become impossible to ignore. Physical restrictions have forced brands to pivot from traditional marketing tactics, and social media has quickly become the lifeblood of every brand’s marketing strategy.

While digital channels have risen in importance over the past five years, the connection between social media success and online sales has never been clearer — or as easy to measure. Facebook drove 40% of traffic for e-commerce brands last quarter, and 66% of Instagram users seek interactions with brands on the app. To capitalize on this phenomenon, brands need to embrace digital agility and harness the power of data to captivate today’s rapidly evolving consumer.

As eMarketer reports, the number of social commerce buyers in the United States alone accelerated 25.2% to 80.1 million in 2020, and will continue to grow 12.9% to 90.4 million in 2021. Forty-six percent of Instagram users make purchases after seeing product information on the app and 52% of TikTok users say they find new products from ads on the platform.

In Dash Hudson’s latest report, Q1 2021: The Convergence of Social and Commerce, the visual marketing software platform shared insights from brands and social media platform experts that demonstrate how innovative social commerce sparks growth. For example, efforts by Selena Gomez’s makeup brand Rare Beauty have garnered an engagement rate that’s +375% higher than the cosmetics industry average.

The takeaways are obvious: social channels need to be at the forefront of marketing efforts. Social media is where brands can cultivate meaningful relationships with people, and where brands have the opportunity to glean insights about the content their audience craves. By applying smart data to the content creation process, brands can optimize content that will resonate across e-commerce and marketing objectives.

Create authentic transparent experiences for online consumers

Marketers need a strong grasp of their target audience and what they care about. As more brands increase investments in social and e-commerce channels, digital spaces are reaching peak saturation. At the same time, consumer expectations of brands are high. Online audiences expect a consistent and engaging digital voice and a frictionless shopping experience.

Topic Discussed: How social media and e-commerce are driving powerful new consumer experiences

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