Social commerce can be considered one of the most important marketing issues today. It is determined as the direct sales of products to clients using popular social media networks. In general, it differs from social media marketing as users and not offered various online stores, but they are provided with an opportunity to check goods within existing platforms and buy them. The importance and topicality of this concept are evidenced by the fact that in China, which economy is considered one of the most powerful in the modern world, the given trend is on the rise, and there are such companies as Taobao, RED, Pinduoduo that demonstrate stable growth and multi-billion incomes due to the adherence to the given model.
One of the core advantages of this very mode of trade is the ability to share experiences about a particular product. For users or customers who look for a specific item, it is one of the essential elements of shopping as they can use various platforms to discuss the pros and cons of buying a commodity from a particular seller. It helps to make better choices and remain satisfied with the process. The example of China proves the beneficial character of this model as Taobao or Red provides clients with numerous opportunities to communicate or use WeChat to give pieces of advice regarding various services or products. That is why social commerce holds a more powerful position if compare with other forms of business, and modern companies try to employ this trend.
Another important aspect of this popular tendency in the sphere of marketing is the practice of group buying. It presupposes the involvement of numerous users with the primary goal to reduce the amount of money paid by one person for a certain good. This option becomes extremely popular among the group of individuals who actively use social networks and want to economize by engaging their friends or members of particular communities in online deals. For instance, Pinduoduo is one of the successful examples of the application of the group buying model as the bigger part of its users prefer to organize groups and attain favorable prices. For the company, it guarantees a high level of interest to stable revenues.
Finally, social commerce is interrelated with technologies and the Internet, which can be considered the most powerful phenomena of the modern world. More and more people buy smartphones with access to the global net and acquire an opportunity to engage in international discourse. Moreover, there is an increased level of comfort as many purchases can be made not leaving home, which is appreciated by various categories of users. That is why a significant part of smartphone owners are also active members of social networks and social commerce trends.
Altogether, the use of various platforms to sell goods directly to clients can be considered one of the most critical issues of modern marketing. Following the example of China, companies start to realize the high potential of the given model and the advantages it can provide them. That is why many social commerce companies appear every year with the primary goal to attract new clients and make them use their smartphones to share experiences, find and discuss some information, and conclude whether to buy a particular good or not.