14 December 2018

Social Commerce: Trends for 2019

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The end of the year is approaching and, with it, the predictions for the next. The evolution of social commerce (and of f-commerce ), together with its current situation, encourages us to think that 2019 will continue to be a year of growth and expansion for this new business model. Likewise, it will continue to evolve, presenting new changes and modifications. Below we present the essential pillars on which social commerce will be sustained in 2019:

The consumer, epicenter of the action

Some current indications are that we are going to experience the definitive explosion of consumer power. Previously, it was the brands that called customers by taking them to them, without considering their wishes as consumers. But the generalization and socialization of the media has given more power to users, giving them a voice in the purchasing process. Gone are the days when brands spoke and consumers only had the option of listening, now users are exercising their power. That time when brands attracted their customers is about to come to an end. Now they are the ones that approach the territory of the users, focusing on establishing a commitment and an ongoing relationship with them. Thus, according to Gavin Sathianathan (Director of business alliances of Facebook), as a result of these changes, “a new social web will be rebuilt, this time around people.”

Personalization

Although people are social beings, we have the need to feel different and special, hence the tendency of personalization . This idea has taken root in the market in such a way that today consumers have the possibility to customize many of the products they purchase, making them unique. But with the passage of time this degree of personalization will not be enough, the consumer will demand to take this tendency to the next level. In this way, their needs will not only focus on the personalization of the products, but they will demand a personalized relationship with the brands. The consumer of 20192 will not value the products of a brand as much as the relationship that it is able to establish with it.

In the same way that users know and get involved with some brands, they must do so with them. By discovering the tastes and interests of their customers, brands are able to offer a selection of products that adapt to the tastes of each person. Also, the delivery of personalized services will continue to experience strong demand. The efforts dedicated to meet these expectations of the users will result in a personalized and meaningful shopping experience for the consumer.

Sharing, the value of the shared

The large number of social networks born in recent years are no more than proof that people need social contact; it seems that, today, the most exalted human nature is social. For this reason, customers no longer think only of buying, but of sharing. 27 million units of content are shared online daily and, according to The New York Times Customer Insight Group, 85% of people say they read the recommendations and feedback from other users to make a more informed purchase decision. Likewise, 90% of online consumers rely on recommendations from people they know while 70% trust the opinions of strangers.

The importance of the opinions we give and receive acquires, day by day, greater relevance and prominence, leading to the so-called Social proof, the social influence of information . In a way, consumers assume that the actions of the rest reflect the behavior to follow in a certain situation. The Bandwagon effect is added to the Social proof, also known as the drag effect. The explanation of these phenomena is simple, let’s see it in an example: if a series of consumers speak well of a product and buy it, the rest of the consumers will follow that behavior, on the one hand because they trust the performances of the first, and, on the other hand, because of the need to “get in the car”. The opinions and recommendations of users, word of mouth (word of mouth) influence consumers’ purchasing processes, reaching the path of a brand or product.

Exclusiveness

For some time, exclusivity has been one of the favorite topics of users, who want to feel part of a small and select group of consumers . With the emergence of the economic crisis this trend has acquired a new nuance, in which exclusivity also becomes important because of its link with prices. In this way, it is so important to acquire exclusive products as to obtain them at the best price. Thus, 67% of users who follow a brand through social networks do so with the expectation of being able to get exclusive offers. In relation to this trend appears the implosion of pop-ups, which with the passage of time are gaining more notoriety in the commercial field. Thus, during 2019 it will be increasingly common to findpop-up stores that remain active for a limited time and that offer products exclusively sold on that channel and during that period. Through techniques of this type, short-term results can be obtained, with a rapid increase in the number of sales, and in the medium-long term, achieving a positive mood among consumers who may act as prescribers of the brand.

Nowism

The current consumer society is constantly in search of information instantly, instant communications, purchases instantly, experiences instantly … In this new consumer society the “now” charges, each time, a more important role . So the “when” reaches the same level of importance as the “what” in the purchase process. Consumers know what they want and when they want it, and they are not willing to wait. In this way, brands must maintain the frenetic pace of users, offering constant news that customers can enjoy at the moment.