From scroll to sale: the past, present and future of social commerce with TikTok Shop, SocialChain and Brave Bison
Only a decade ago, social platforms were purely that: social. But what started out as places for people to connect and catch up with family and friends has now become an altogether different space.
Nowhere is this transformation more evident than TikTok. From entertainment to discovery to search to sale, the explosion of social commerce means TikTok has effectively become a microcosm of the customer journey, launching its ecommerce platform TikTok Shop in 2021.
Gareth sums it up aptly: “We’re on the cusp of another digital revolution. Social platforms are turning into utility platforms. They’re a place where you can go to be entertained and distracted, where you can search and discover, buy things, and – going full circle – connect with people.”
This creates a unique customer journey whereby customers can go from awareness and consideration straight to purchase – all within a single platform. But as the space changes rapidly, brands are struggling to keep pace with it.
So at SocialMinds LIVE, we brought together Jackie Genser, fashion lead at TikTok Shop, Brave Bison’s managing director for Performance Hannah Kimuyu and senior strategist Gareth Harrisson to advise brands how they can make the most out of their social commerce strategy.
“Getting the creative right is essential for social commerce. Above all, your content needs to be authentic. This is where leaning into the creator network can be invaluable. Creators enable brands to connect with audiences in a deeper, more meaningful way. We all want to buy from people we can connect with.”
Hannah Kimuyu, Managing Director, Brave Bison Performance
Jackie says TikTok has been transformational for creator marketing. “There’s a huge democratisation of creators nowadays thanks to TikTok. I’ve personally worked with influencers who are normal full-time mums, and they’re generating huge income for brands. There’s influencers suitable for every demographic, and it’s this customisable nature of TikTok that makes life easier for brands.”
But with most brands only just dipping their toe in TikTok, let alone TikTok Shop, brands need a way to tap into the demand for social commerce without the risk of investing too much time or effort. Gareth believes that testing and learning is the way to go, with multiple ways to diversify your brand’s digital footprint. “You can diversify everything from the content formats you use to the creators you employ, the channels you host content on (not just TikTok) and the communities you appeal to. Test each area independently, and only scale up tests once you find success.”
And with TikTok, the risk might not be as great as you think. “There are some operational costs with TikTok Shop – you aren’t just generating content, you’re working with a full ecommerce marketplace,” acknowledges Jackie, “But the platform only takes commission when a sale is made.” This means you don’t need to pay a premium for creators when you don’t know for certain what will work.
And if you want to know what the future of social commerce holds, just look at the state of play in markets where it’s already a major part of shoppers’ lives. “In Asia, they’re running livestreams in malls, and bringing customers who aren’t located near the shop into the store virtually. Social commerce is limitless, and I think we’re only going to see capabilities enhance over time,” Jackie says.
Creators will play an even bigger part in effective social commerce, too. “Creators will start to be used throughout the consumer journey, and because of this, I think we’ll start seeing them in the wider marketing mix beyond social,” says Gareth. TikTok’s head of lifestyle retail and ecommerce Dave Morrissey believes creative will be the biggest challenge for brands over the coming decade. “If you look at the brands who smashed it last year, they had 300-400 videos in November alone….now you need to produce a huge amount of content – and the right type of content, too.”
Hear more tips from Jackie, Hannah and Gareth as they took to the SocialMinds LIVE stage to prepare your brand for the future of social commerce.
Click below to watch the full session with insights including:
- How to diversify your digital footprint cost-effectively through testing
- Why listing your products on TikTok could be enough to get you started
- The benefits of letting influencers work across your sale funnel
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