Monday, January 30, 2012
Ecommerce through social media websites is still minuscule compared to other shopping platforms, but experts say social shopping will account for a larger portion of online sales in the near future.
According to a recent eMarketer report, the majority of retailers have a Facebook page with product information and other consumer-oriented functions, but social media has yet to become profitable for most online businesses.
"As social media, and Facebook in particular, plays a larger role in consumers' lives, people are becoming accustomed to performing routine tasks like reading news, watching videos and listening to music, as well as discovering products and shopping, all while staying logged in to a single site," said eMarketer analyst Krista Garcia.
Citing a Booz & Company study, the report said sales via social media reached $1 billion last year, but that total is expected to increase to $14 billion in 2015. As websites like Facebook become a more significant shopping platform for consumers, it's essential that online retailers incorporate social media into their ecommerce solutions.
IP Commerce offers application developers the world’s best open platform (with free API’s, modules and templates) for fast and innovative ecommerce solutions. Get the API’s you need now – simply use our Free Online Integration Wizard to provide the details of your next ecommerce project and download the application tools you need.
