Cloud-based social media software provider Sprout Social announced new integrations with Shopify and Facebook Shops, two of the biggest players in social commerce. The social commerce space, which allows consumers to buy directly within a social platform, is estimated to be upwards of $36 billion in the U.S. alone, and expected to balloon globally to nearly $2 trillion by 2026.
Sprout Social’s new integrations with Shopify and Facebook Shops support customer experience, including customer service, with personalized messaging throughout the purchase cycle. Of course, the social commerce gold comes with a shortened buy cycle, because users don’t have to click or swipe to get to another screen to purchase.
Retailers and other Sprout Social customers will be able to link product catalogues and historical customer data into the social media experience, so that the interactions are seamless with customers when they are already discovering products and shopping on social. Marketers will also be able to respond more effectively to customer service requests that come through social channels.
Why we care: Social commerce is a category which is only going to grow. Customers are discovering products through sponsored posts on social platforms and social ad campaigns, and it makes no sense to drive them from social -— where they want to be -— to a website to complete the purchase.
Considering that at the beginning of the year YouTube launched a pilot program with influencers that featured an in-video shopping bag icon, it’s not a stretch for marketers to begin thinking of their social media strategy as part of their overall e-commerce attack.
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