Importance of Social Media Marketing For Online Shopping

The internet is full of the fact that online shopping is making waves in the societies worldwide today. With countless online shopping portals emerging on the scene, with a huge amount of variety, it gets a bit tedious for the consumer when it comes to deciding what to buy.

As a result consumers have turned to the social media to take guidance when it comes to buying something online.

Online Purchase Intention Dominated By:

Word Of Mouth And Reviews

Word of mouth plays a huge role in consumers’ conversion rate. And what better way to check out reviews about a brand or a particular product than social media. According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendation from friends and family other than marketers. People are now increasingly interested and engaged in sharing their experiences about a particular product, place or an event.

A study by Mikalef et al (2013) revealed that browsing intention of an online portal by a potential eCommerce consumer is linked in a significantly positive manner to purchasing and word of mouth.

Thus, when it comes to fashion they turn to top fashion blogs, profiles, e-magazines and even celebrity news for inspiration. Following bloggers and celebrities on their Instagram profiles enables them to get a sneak peek on their lifestyle and Pinterest for those fashion DIY ideas are perfect social media forums for women. Online Fashion brands like Tesoro Pakistan and Zalora to name a few, pay huge attention towards how the consumers perceive them online.

For electronics on the other hand, consumers turn to YouTube and other tech Savvy blogs to get reviews of consumers who have used those gadgets. Some YouTube channels are solely made to provide review about electronic products by consumers themselves who have interest and expertise in the field.

Even the Health and Fitness industry is gaining fame through Social Media. Many fitness studios, diet plan business and bloggers post videos of body transformations using their products or plans. They also encourage their users to provide them with testimonials and their experiences. These significantly influence conversion of purchase intention to actual purchase in the hopes of similar experiences. Famous fitness studio in Lahore named Aimfit and a global famous diet plan Shakeology use similar strategies.

Word Of Mouth Marketing For Online Shopping

Social media marketing

Image Credit: AD Week

Customer Reviews And Check Ins On Online Store

The feature of checking in on social media platform, a place has made quite a considerable impact when it comes to the word of mouth aspect on social media. People associate a sense of affirmation and trust when they get to know that someone familiar has experience something that they intend to experience in the future. Whether it’s Facebook or Instagram, when a person checks in on a restaurant, event or even a store, it give an automatic boost to the business. Some businesses have used this aspect for their benefit in the sense that they encourage their visitors to check in while offering them something complimentary or a discount.[AdSense-B]

According to Invesp, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Therefore, whenever they  intend to buy something online, they first go through all the relevant reviews regarding the brand, website and the products offers so as to be sure. One bad review can have a sizable impact on the business. Thus it is important for businesses to be vigilant regarding consumers wants when it comes to making a reputable online presence.

online shopping

Image Credit: Invesp

Update With New Products/Offers On Online Shopping Stores

Social Media presence of businesses has made it easier for them to showcase their new products and offers to their customers immediately when they are offered. All online portals of online shopping sites now have a list of at least two three social media icons which lead the site visitor to their social media web page and encourage them to like and follow it. By doing this, followers will be kept updated with the new offers and discounts that the e tailers have to offer to the consumers. This allows their brand loyal consumer base to be engaged and other consumers to know about them.

discount on shopping

The above mentioned tactics by various eCommerce platforms are performed through social media. They make a considerable impact on the conversion rate of e-commerce businesses.


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Tayyib Ahsan is an Entrepreneur and Freelance Technology Writer, His Passion is to Help Others in Blogging, Marketing and Online Shopping to Gain Knowladge & Success. In addition, He also offers E-Currency Exchange Services for Individuals and Companies Worldwide. Get in touch with him on Twitter or Facebook.

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