Why brands in Asia Pacific are turning to social selling

While social commerce was previously focused on ads or promotions, platforms are beginning to provide innovative ways of selling that focus on making the journey easier for buyers. The Drum finds out how brands should reevaluate the purchasing paths they offer and consider taking advantage of social selling opportunities.As consumers today want to form deeper connections with brands, there has been a shift towards building relationships rather than just communicating with them.One of these shifts sees consumers spend more online, in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, social platforms are increasingly turning to social selling to meet demand. For example, Instagram introduced shopping features, which allow social media users to purchase items without ever leaving the app.Some 69% of marketers now say they plan to disburse more money on Instagram influencers than any other market for the foreseeable future, according to Talkwalker’s Social Media Trends report.Marketers are turning to social selling because it simplifies the customer journey when people are shopping online, as word of mouth, influencers and positive experiences of the brand and product shape their decision. This helps shoppers trust who they are buying from and what they are buying.For the e-commerce platform Shopee, it taps on different influencers to inspire shoppers and help them feel more at ease. This can be through influencers and its #ShopeeHaul user-generated content (UGC) program, where shoppers review the products they bought on Shopee on their social media channels.The reviews have helped generate more than 38.3bn views on Shopee’s reviews-related UGC, the platform claims.“When it comes to customer journeys, bad experiences, however small, can significantly impact a consumer's perception of our brand. We leverage Talkwalker’s consumer intelligence solutions to detect negative user conversations in real-time, and this allows us to quickly determine the appropriate response and address user feedback,” explains Huiyan Pan, the regional marketing lead at Shopee.“One of the ways we work with influencers is providing them with programs that they can be part of to reach their followers. Through our Shopee Affiliate Program, we empower anyone to become an influencer and inspire their followers. From nano to mega influencers, they can promote the products that appeal to their followers and earn a commission on each product bought.”She adds: “We are also seeing a new category of livestream influencers who are crucial in ensuring streams are enjoyable and engaging for viewers. Shopee’s KOL programs across the region help to discover and train budding livestream talent, allowing them to grow an audience and eventually earn an income through livestreaming. Already, we are seeing an average of over 1,000 of these KOL streams daily across the region, many of which involve brand integrations to help brands better engage viewers and earn consumer trust.”Pan also believes brands will lead in social media decentralization, pointing out Shopee was built to offer a fun and engaging experience that goes beyond just shopping. She explains the platform engage actively with its users on social media channels and also in-app, tailoring its content to connect with them and creating an optimal consumer journey from across channels to in-app based on users’ behaviors and preferences on different channels.“Within the app, we focus on a rewarding experience by helping users offset future purchases while having fun doing it. In the past two years, as more people shop, work, and play from home, we have also increased our entertainment content, including live performances and real-time interactions with celebrities through Shopee Live.“Similarly, more brands are now leveraging Shopee to drive new online experiences, including innovations like the use of AR in the beauty category, personalized quizzes, and branded games.”Benjamin Soubies, the managing director for Asia Pacific and Japan at Talkwalker, says platforms like Shopee are a prime example of how a customer-centric approach is essential for driving brand success as consumers are firmly in the driver’s seat of opinion and brand perception todayAs they expect more personalized content, a faster service, and a better experience, he suggests brands need to be informed by a 360-degree, real-time view of their consumers, to be able to match those expectations consistently.“One common thread which runs through the 10 trends is that of hybridization. Whether it is metaverses as the next consumer connection, communities forming within and outside of the brand bubble, or brands participating in social media decentralization,” says Soubies.“We can look forward to inventive ways in which the leading platforms and companies will look to blend physical and virtual realities, bridge the in-app and outside-of-app customer journeys, and create gathering points for the communities that matter the most to them.”He adds: “2022 will be an exciting but challenging time for brands and marketers. Even as we see our economies open up and international travel gradually restored, marketers are likely to find their brands and their consumers continually immersed in a hybrid environment -- working between home and office, and networking both digitally and in person.”

Why brands in Asia Pacific are turning to social selling

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Why brands in Asia Pacific are turning to social selling

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