Forget the blue light special. These days, consumers are turning to social commerce for value and convenience. Social shopping sites offer customers a deeply discounted “deal of the day” from a local business, like an $80 spa massage for $30. Consumers purchase the deal through the shopping site then receive a printable or mobile coupon. Popular social commerce sites include Groupon, LivingSocial and Kaboodle. Here are 3 reasons social shopping sites may be the lead generation tactic your social media strategy needs:
- The customer has a vested interest in redeeming the coupon – When it comes to no-cost deals, like a coupon clipped from a newspaper, the customer doesn’t have an urgent incentive to use it. They might come into your business to redeem it, or they might completely forget about it and never set foot in your store or visit your website. Social commerce customers pay for the coupon before they redeem it, making it much more likely the deal will generate traffic.
- Shoppers increase exposure by sharing great deals – Sure, online coupon codes make the rounds in online forums and through email, but many social shopping sites make it simple to let interested friends, family, or colleagues in on the action. With the click of a button, consumers can share your deal via email, Facebook, or Twitter, giving the offer additional exposure.
- Social shopping is mobile friendly – Many social commerce sites offer mobile apps that allow consumers to buy and redeem deals on-the-go. That means your brand doesn’t lose out on the lead who forgets to print the coupon or leaves it lying on the kitchen counter or office desk.
When it comes to monetizing social media, few platforms produce quickly measurable ROI like social shopping sites. Learn more using these websites on our blog entry Let’s Share a Deal: Shopping Goes Social. B2Bs, check out this 3-minute clip of OfficeArrow CEO Robert Ball’s discussion of B2B social shopping from LiftSummit 2010, co-hosted by Social Strategy1.