The days of going to a shopping centre with a group of friends on a Saturday afternoon could be something of a myth soon. The ecommerce boom has meant that more and more of us are taking to our laptops, mobiles or tablets and it doesn’t look like its slowing down. Ecommerce sites like Amazon and ASOS are able to offer us cheaper alternatives. For me the idea of trying before buying is still very appealing but I think I am not in the majority. When offered the same garment but for cheaper I would definitely opt for the cheaper option.
However, a new form of shopping is becoming ever popular. Consumers now have the chance to purchase cheaper products and still have a social element to their shopping experience. Social commerce (s-commerce) allows consumers to share their shopping experience with online friends and benefit from the same ecommerce economies of scale. S-commerce caught my eye when Pinterest started linking social media with online retail sales.
Twitter has jumped two feet first into the s-commerce market and on Monday introduced the ‘buy now’ button.
All the products which feature the ‘buy now’ button link to a shopping site called Fancy. Which has a very Twitter/ Pinterest feel to it. The button only appears to mobile users at the moment but with its direct approach online shoppers will not be able to stop themselves clicking on this appealing call to action. The concept of social shopping is very interesting, Tweeters have become familiar with Twitter ads, but will they approach social shopping with open arms or be cautious? I am sure once fully launched consumers will adapt to the idea and this will be successful but it raises a number of questions…
- Who would buy a product on Twitter (and why)?
- Is mobile customer experience ready for this advancement?
- Are you worried about social fraud?
- Will s-commerce have the same impact to the retail market as ecommerce did?
These are the types of questions the social shopper will be looking to answer when making their purchasing decision. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this and whether you agree this is the start of the s-commerce boom?
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