Shoppers have been starting to turn to their social media networks to empower their e-commerce experience. In fact, statistics show that over 65 percent of those online have used a social network to buy a product, according to emarketer. Plus, 23 percent of online shoppers admitted they were influenced by social media when it came time to make a purchase and 84 percent of American shoppers review at least one social media site before clicking buy.
Moreover, worldwide retail ecommerce sales were $2.3 trillion in 2017 and are expected to grow to $4.5 trillion by 2021.
A brief history of the shopping experience
Needless to say, shopping has come a long way over the past few decades. While heading out to the market or mall was the only way to see new products and make a purchase, the rise of the Internet has changed all that. First, there were brand and store websites where you could see and buy items from their individual online store. These were similar to brick and mortar shopping where you had to visit each shop to get the specific item you were after. Wal-Mart changed the retail landscape by offering consumers a one-stop shopping experience both in-store and online. Then came Amazon, which further revolutionized the shopping experience. Customers became more empowered as they were able to research products, prices and more from one online platform.
Now the e-commerce marketplace is changing again as we see e-commerce combining with social media to create a truly integrated online shopping experience.
How Brabble is changing social shopping
Led by Patrick Mackaronis and his team, Brabble is an app that brings together social media and e-commerce into a feature-rich experience for users. By allowing users to post audio, video, photos, texts – or a mix of each – onto the platform, the app gives them the ability to reach a wider social audience. Users are able to control who sees the content, whether it is friends, followers or everyone. More importantly, with its *StarTags technology, Brabble provides a seamless way for users to buy and sell items with their social network – not only on Brabble itself but across all their social media networks.
“Today’s consumers are using the Internet to scroll for the best deals and are getting family, friends and follower feedback before buying,” Brabble’s Director of Business Development, Patrick Mackaronis said. Patrick Mackaronis added, “Allowing an easy way for individual users and businesses to buy and sell with their social followers – this is the experience we want to provide.”
As the social media landscape evolves and online shopping becomes more sophisticated, the combination of e-commerce and social media will place more power and convenience in the hands of consumers. In turn, it’s likely that users will gravitate to technologies that provide and expand upon this experience.