From scrolling to shopping, the study carried out by Bazaarvoice on social commerce in 2022 lives up to its name. We are spending more and more time on social media and three quarters of consumers say they are influenced there when it comes to buying something. Analysts have therefore investigated to see how the general public reacts and acts in the face of the development of e-commerce on social platforms.
Suggestion of products, purchase button directly in the feed or in story, virtual reality… New options are flourishing to consume a little more on social networks. Nothing surprising when you see the rise of e-commerce! This is an interesting optimization for professionals in the sector, but are Internet users really ready to take out their wallets?
By surveying 14,000 Internet users, the study proposed by Bazaarvoice gives the floor to the first concerned and thus makes it possible to better understand the role that social networks can play here.
influence
Before the checkout, there is necessarily a desire or a need. Social networks have understood this for a while now and have gradually transformed into a sales platform; or at least inspiration. When we look at shopping, we notice that 65% of the population uses social networks to find ideas, 61% of Internet users consume when they come across something that interests them in their feed or story, finally 60% go through links and recommendations made by influencers, or directly through ads from brands they follow. Conversely, only 38% of respondents say they actively search for products on social networks.
Faced with these figures, we should not generalize to all platforms either. The sales tools and the search for information remain similar, but Facebook differentiates itself with recommendations from relatives and friends, YouTube relies on the remuneration of influencers, and Pinterest, unsurprisingly, on inspiration.
Obviously, some products sell more easily online than others. Beauty products (91% on social networks compared to 44% in stores), ready-to-wear (81% compared to 57%), decoration and furniture (60% compared to 40%), as well as well-being (54% versus 29%) are favored online. On the other hand, the trend is reversed when it comes to food products. Electronic products have homogeneous sales levels between networks and in-store sales (42% against 39%).
We want the real
The study clearly shows that consumers are more influenced by the words of experts (35%), their family and friends (25%) and social media stars (23%) than by celebrities or other muses (5 %). Authenticity and originality take precedence over purely advertising content. Moreover, respondents say they are not against new shopping experiences. The most successful trends currently are purchasing via live streaming events (53%), digital publishing (42%) and shopping in virtual or augmented reality (25%).
Although Internet users are always asking for it, this last point seems to be a little shunned by sellers. Indeed, only 1% of distributors say they use virtual reality. Maybe the development of the metaverse will change something?!
Anyway, to sell on social networks, you have to offer the consumer what he expects. More experience, targeted and relevant influence… It’s no longer a laboratory where you can experiment. Customers know what they want and it is now up to brands to adapt to it, before others do it for them.