It is a part of e-commerce which uses social media websites like Twitter or Facebook for social interaction and user contribution for commercial activities of services and goods. Social commerce provides the functionality of the social web in and around an online purchase. With the technology built into a purchase or ecommerce site, a consumer can provide feedback on a product or experience as well as recommend to their network through a variety of interactive methods.
It comes in many forms, although the most common form is of online ratings and reviews. Online customers have increased their expectations of the online retail interaction experience with other than product descriptions, they want information on how the product works, it’s instructions and how-do tips and videos and how popular the product is in their social circle.
Types
Various types of social commerce implementations are present as
- Social Referral – With social referral technology built into ecommerce platform, consumers are rewarded with a discount for sharing feedback about their purchase with their network via social media. New consumers, introduced by their friend or present customers, are also offered a discount as an incentive to shop.
- Group-Buys – Group buying web sites like Groupon have dominated the group-buying social commerce corner. They enable consumers to purchase goods or services at a discounted rate if a certain number of people purchase the deal. The model encourages the sharing of information about a product or company across the social web in order to secure the deal.
- F-commerce – It is e-commerce powered by Facebook due to ever increasing users on Facebook, sales on Facebook is possible.