A guide to social commerce
Social commerce allows enterprises to leverage social media platforms to display and sell their products and services effectively. Explore the available options and learn how to begin your journey.

1. Summary 

Numerous ecommerce ventures offering physical products leverage their social media presence and targeted ads to connect with their audience, enhance visibility, and boost sales on their own ecommerce platforms.

'Social commerce' refers to the process where various aspects of selling directly to customers are managed within the social media platform, allowing users to browse product catalogues and make purchases seamlessly. On certain platforms, users can complete the checkout process without leaving the social platform to visit the sellers' websites. However, this feature is currently not available in India.

In this guide, we will explore the social commerce options currently available across the major social platforms in India, along with insights on how to get started.

2. The growth of social commerce 

Social commerce is an expanding sector, influenced by several key factors:
The growing trend of customers turning to social platforms to discover new products 
Increasingly, customers are depending on content created by users, including images and reviews, to boost their confidence in making purchases.
Customers enjoy a smoother experience when they can browse products without leaving the platform.
This presents a significant opportunity for enterprises. To remain relevant to certain audiences in the future, numerous businesses might need to actively consider this option.

However, placing the entire control of your business's commerce aspect within a social media platform (beyond just promoting it could make your business more susceptible, especially if the platform alters its features.

3. Before you get started 

There are several factors to consider in order to assess if this could be suitable for your business.
Reach your desired customers. It is essential to have solid proof that your intended audiences are engaged on that platform and utilise it to interact with brands.
Willingness to purchase. Social commerce is still developing, with younger audiences at the forefront of embracing this shopping trend. Think about whether your target audience is inclined to make purchases through social media.
Suitable products. When engaging with your customers in their social environment, products that tend to perform well include impulse buys, lifestyle items, affordable and straightforward products that can be easily grasped through visuals, as well as fashion and accessories. Items that are more complex and of higher value might not be the best fit for this selling approach, as customers typically engage in more online comparisons and research.
Visual representation. Top-notch images and videos will be essential for achieving success.
Customer journeys. Since customers will need to finish part of the transaction on your own site, make sure that their experience is as smooth as possible when they arrive on your webpages.
Various degrees of functionality across different platforms. For many social platforms, the features for social commerce are still being developed and are being introduced gradually across various countries.
Possible challenges. Like any venture, there are inherent risks involved. When platforms alter their operational policies and methods of engaging with audiences and businesses (which happens often), it can significantly affect your business. Consider social commerce as a component of your overall selling strategy, rather than the sole focus. For instance, maintain your own e-commerce site as well.

4. Social commerce platforms for Indian enterprises 

The key platforms featuring social commerce capabilities in the Indian market include:

Pinterest, the visual search engine, allows you to connect directly with your website, offering a shopfront on their platform at no cost, while checkout transactions are currently processed on your own site. 
Facebook and Instagram provide various selling options for enterprises, such as shoppable ads and the 'Shops' feature, allowing businesses to showcase their products directly on their Facebook or Instagram profiles. Customers can explore and choose products, and will be directed to the business’s own website to finalise their purchase.
It is important to understand that while Facebook and Instagram operate as distinct platforms, Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012, leading to a shared technological foundation under the 'Meta' umbrella. Consequently, when registering and setting up your shopping features, you will do so through the Meta Commerce Manager, where you can choose to utilise Facebook, Instagram, or both for your business needs.

5. Pinterest 

Pinterest presents itself as a “visual discovery engine” where individuals, referred to as “Pinners,” seek inspiration for styling a variety of things, including interiors, fashion, and events, along with ideas for gifts, hobbies, and recipes. Numerous users are seeking inspiration for their purchases, making it a natural progression for them to buy items while creating their own boards filled with visually appealing “pins”.

Marketing on Pinterest 
Pinterest can serve as a shopfront for your business by integrating data from your own e-commerce website, enhancing your commerce capabilities. ‘Product Pins’ are designed to clearly indicate to users that they showcase items available for purchase, making them “shoppable.” Users on Pinterest can view the current product details, pricing, and stock status of these items, which are sourced from the applied metadata. Customers are then directed to your website to finalise the transaction.

Once you’re registered and verified, when visitors come to your website and “Pin” a product directly from your site, it will show up on their boards as a Product pin, complete with all the necessary information to facilitate future purchases.

These services come at no cost, yet many businesses will likely allocate a budget for promoting their new product pins to enhance visibility. This is why the platform is pleased to provide the basic service without any fees.

A brief overview of the process of selling on Pinterest is provided below, with comprehensive information accessible on the Pinterest website.

1. Creating a profile 

Setting up a business account on Pinterest is quite simple, as it provides distinct features compared to a personal account. Enhancing your profile effectively will require some time, as it's essential to create an appealing cover, engaging idea pins, and organised highlights. Your profile image can either be your logo or a personal photo, especially if your business revolves around your personal brand. Ensure that you incorporate appropriate keywords in your profile and pin boards to enhance your search rankings.

Next, you will connect your business account to your primary website. Pinterest refers to the process as “claiming your website,” which involves adding a Pinterest meta tag or uploading their HTML file to your website. They provide guidance on how to accomplish this for various website platforms such as Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and WordPress.

After completing this step, your business profile picture will be displayed alongside Pins originating from your site. Users will have the option to follow your account, and you will gain access to analytics for the Pins you publish as well as those created by others from your site.

Additionally, you have the option to connect your online marketplace and social media platforms such as Instagram, Etsy, or YouTube. This integration allows content from these accounts to be shared directly to Pinterest, ensuring it is automatically attributed to you, making it easier for people to discover more of your content.

2. Establishing your business as verified 

The next step is to apply for Pinterest’s Verified Merchant Programme (VMP) to unlock additional features and potentially secure free organic listings. Upon achieving success, you will be awarded a blue “Verified Merchant” checkmark on your profile and pins, signalling to customers that you are a trusted and approved business. (Authenticated creators are marked with a red tick symbol.) 

Your product pins will display pricing and availability details, along with a Shop tab that allows customers to explore your complete product range.

To apply, ensure you adhere to the Merchant Guidelines, which include having eligible products, a high-quality website, and proper processes for shipping, refunds, and contact details. Additionally, you must “connect your catalogue.” This entails having a stream of product information directly from your eCommerce platform that can be shared with Pinterest on a daily basis, ensuring the quality and accuracy of pricing, product descriptions, and availability are upheld. This is a technical task that may require assistance, and Pinterest connects with various e-commerce platforms.

3. Establishing product categories 
To set up product groups, you must first add a ‘data source’ (such as a product catalogue or product feed) to your Pinterest account. This step is essential for Pinterest to generate pins for your products.

After successfully extracting product data from your catalogue or website, it's essential to determine the most effective way to utilise “product groups” for filtering and organising your product Pins.

Your profile can showcase product groups under the Shop tab, and you have the option to invest in promoting them as “Shopping ads.”

There are two types of product groups:

Generated automatically by Pinterest. They will appear as “Auto-created for you” next to the product group name. These are recommendations that cannot be modified or removed, but you have the option to disregard them if they are not useful. If you own a Shopify site, you can connect your Shopify account to your Pinterest account to showcase your Shopify collections as product groups on Pinterest. Currently, Pinterest provides six automatically created groups that are tailored according to engagement levels, product availability, and pricing. The products featured in these groups are refreshed daily, drawing from the feed of your catalogue or website. 
○ All products – encompasses everything 
○ Best sellers – products with the highest sales conversion rates 
○ Top trending – items that are receiving the highest engagement from customers across various sellers 
○ Back in stock – products that were previously unavailable and are now ready for purchase again 
○ Fresh additions – items that have just been introduced to your collection 
○ Top offers – significant reduction in price when comparing the sales price and standard price fields 
Created by you with your own hands. To have the “Shop” tab visible on your profile, it's essential to create at least one product group manually and select it for featuring on your profile. Utilise filters like category, product type, brand, and custom labels to organise your groups effectively. Then, select a group name that accurately represents these elements, as this name will be visible to your audience. For instance, if your product category is “handbags” and you label it as “most popular,” then the group should be aptly named “most popular handbags.” The name of the filter you select should consistently match your data source; otherwise, it will not be included in your product group. After establishing the groups, you have the flexibility to modify or remove them as necessary, such as when they are created for a particular campaign.
4. Marketing 
Pinterest provides several strategies for businesses to implement paid advertising to enhance their organic listings:

Shopping advertisements: Individual image product promotions 
Customised collection advertisements featuring various images 
Businesses can utilise retargeting to connect with individuals who have previously explored your website.

5. Engaging with Pinners 
If you choose to opt in, your profile will feature a “Message” button, allowing Pinners who visit your page to send you direct messages to your Pinterest inbox. You can also include your phone number and email address, which will change the button to “Contact”.

6. Data Insights 
Make sure to leverage the analytics provided by Pinterest to identify the most effective strategies and keep enhancing your efforts.

6. Facebook aur Instagram 
Grasping the sales environment on Facebook and Instagram 
On Facebook and Instagram, there are several options available to Indian businesses to enhance their online presence and engage in social commerce. These consist of:
- Profiles for businesses featuring Pages or accounts 
- Facebook Marketplace 
- Shopping functionalities and advertisements 
- Company profiles 

Your business profiles serve as the primary pages you establish when creating your presence on platforms like Facebook or Instagram. To run ads and utilise shopping features, it's essential to have a business profile on Facebook and/or Instagram.

Facebook Pages, commonly known as Business Pages 
This channel offers an excellent opportunity to enhance engagement and promote awareness of your business and products. After creating a business page, you can start running advertisements. If your products meet the criteria, your business can proceed to sell on the Marketplace or utilise the Shops feature (refer to the details below).
Instagram business profile 
Instagram business accounts allow you to enhance customer engagement, direct traffic to your website via your bio and clickable stories, and utilise paid promotions to connect with new customers. The platform offers valuable insights on the fundamentals of utilising your profile effectively.
Market Hub 
Facebook Marketplace 
This is a platform for product listings (as opposed to an e-commerce platform) that can be utilised by both individuals and businesses. Businesses have the opportunity to showcase their products for sale and promote them effectively in the Marketplace. It enables customers to discover products and then reach out to the seller directly to facilitate the transaction. For enterprises, while it may not be feasible to tailor the appearance to establish a brand identity, the Marketplace can be beneficial for:
offering a limited selection of products in modest amounts (frequently, though not exclusively, items of lesser value) 
offering a uniquely tailored service 
Evaluating new products to gauge interest and identify target audiences is essential. It's important to note that consumers on Marketplace may have different preferences compared to those shopping directly on ecommerce websites. Therefore, a product that performs well on one platform may not necessarily achieve the same success on another.
Businesses can also leverage paid advertising on Marketplace in addition to just listing their products.
For additional details, please refer to Meta Business support.
Facebook 'Shop' feature 
The 'shops' feature was created as a component of Facebook's social commerce initiative. On Facebook, ‘Facebook Shops’ enhance the original ‘Shop’ tab found on business pages.

Facebook Shops 
Facebook Shops allow businesses to display their products in an 'online shop' directly on their Facebook Page. Facebook states that with Shops, you can showcase and sell products directly on the platform. Customers visiting your store can explore your offerings, make purchases, and familiarise themselves with your brand.

Customers can explore your products in the ‘shop’ tab and then visit your website to finalise the purchase, or they can message you to discuss the sale further.

Facebook Sales advertisements 
A significant aspect of selling on Facebook is their sales advertisements. These are advertisements you can develop with the aim of driving sales or purchases, allowing you to highlight a product and direct traffic to your website through the ‘shop now’ call to action button.

Instagram Shopping 

Instagram Shopping offers a variety of features that allow businesses to sell directly through their profiles, videos, and photos on the platform. These characteristics encompass: 

Instagram shopping tags enable you to tag products in your images and videos, including Stories, Lives, and Reels, guiding customers to buy those products directly from your website.
Shops, similar to Facebook Shops, serve as a digital shopfront on Instagram, allowing customers to explore and choose products directly from your Instagram profile. Similar to Facebook, customers will navigate to your website to finalise the payment process.
Shoppable ads are promotional posts and advertisements on Instagram that feature product tags. Instagram states that “Businesses have the option to ‘boost’ both new and existing shopping posts through Ads Manager and Instagram.” This enables your shoppable posts to connect with a broader audience in the Instagram feed.
It’s important to remember that this landscape is evolving, with Meta continuously introducing and discontinuing features as their ‘shop’ offering grows and progresses. For instance, Instagram is currently prioritising its shopping ad features over its onsite commerce capabilities and shop tabs.

Establishing shopping features on Facebook and Instagram 
Here, we explore the steps required to establish and utilise the shopping features on both Facebook and Instagram, as they operate using the same Meta functionality.

1. Creating profiles on Facebook and Instagram 
First, ensure you have a personal Facebook and/or Instagram profile set up if you haven't done so already. Next, create a Facebook Business Page or an Instagram business account.

2. Establish Commerce Manager 
Next, you will utilise Meta's Commerce Manager tool.

Commerce Manager is a tool that enables businesses to oversee their products on Facebook and Instagram.

Businesses that offer physical products and aim to promote and sell through Facebook or Instagram must utilise Commerce Manager to establish their shops on these platforms and leverage Instagram Shopping features.

When setting up your store, you select your payment process. (In India, there is no option to process payments directly within Facebook and Instagram, so customers must click through to your website or use messaging via Messenger or WhatsApp, where you can manage payments and fulfil orders in a more manual manner.).

It is essential to choose the product catalogue that will be utilised for your store and shopping functionalities. Similar to Pinterest, there are two options available:

If you are selling on your own ecommerce website using platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce, you can connect with this to import and sync your product catalogue seamlessly. You can create a test shop to ensure everything functions properly.
Utilise the catalogue generated by Meta in Commerce Manager, and then proceed to manually add your products once your shop setup is finalised.
After you have finalised the seller agreement and completed the setup process, Meta will review your products and setup to approve your shop.

3. Establishing collections 

Similar to Pinterest, you can form product groups known as “collections.” You can create, arrange, and customise these in Commerce Manager, utilising themes like the latest trends or seasonal collections to stay relevant to your customers, while also providing a name, description, and cover media.
Customise your shop's style and colour scheme under 'Layout', and utilise preview tools to check how it looks in both light and dark modes for Facebook and Instagram.
Once you are prepared to launch your shop, Meta will conduct a review and grant approval before it becomes visible to the public.

4. Marketing 
After your shop goes live, it will be displayed in full-screen mode on the Facebook or Instagram apps, designed with a mobile-first approach.
Shops that are established can leverage additional shopping features, such as Facebook ads and Instagram shopping ads, to craft posts and advertisements that are “shoppable.”

5. Data Insights 
The platforms offer valuable analytics that should be utilised alongside your own website analytics. A valuable aspect is leveraging insights from A/B testing various advertisements to determine what performs optimally for your enterprise and offerings across diverse platforms and audiences.

6. Alternative social commerce platforms 
Recent advancements in social commerce and updates across various social platforms are evolving quickly, with continuous changes taking place. The following platforms are also enhancing their social commerce capabilities.

YouTube 
YouTube is quickly advancing its social commerce features. Called ‘YouTube Shopping’, this feature enables qualified businesses and video creators to showcase products within their videos and in various other sections of YouTube. You can establish a ‘shop’ for your channel, highlight products in chat, display products in video end screens, and tag products during live streams, shorts, and videos.

For you to utilise these features, your channel needs to receive approval for monetisation.

Discover additional information in YouTube Help.

Snapchat 
Snapchat, the mobile messaging app, has ventured into advertising and recently introduced public profiles for businesses, allowing them to establish a store and showcase their products. The platform is focused on delivering a distinctive experience in social commerce, allowing users familiar with engaging via a camera and utilising augmented reality (AR) to virtually try on products and make purchases directly through their camera. In addition to making shopping enjoyable, virtual try-on experiences can significantly decrease ecommerce returns.