Social media hasn’t just changed the way consumers shop by enabling them to make purchases while scrolling Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Social media has disrupted the entire customer journey. Prior to the internet, the customer journey was more linear and less dynamic than it is today. It was characterized by fewer touchpoints, less immediate access to information and limited opportunities for peer interaction or real-time feedback. Today, brands can leverage social media to build awareness much more quickly, as well as help shoppers evaluate their products, recruit brand ambassadors and increase loyalty.
Here, we explore seven ways social media has made the customer journey more engaging, interconnected and consumer-driven, and how brands can leverage these changes to benefit their business.
1. It gives consumers instant access to information 24/7
Social media provides consumers with immediate access to product reviews, tutorials, expert opinions and the ability to connect with their peers to seek advice. They utilize all of these resources to guide their purchasing decisions. Many shoppers do their homework on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok before even visiting a brand’s website. In addition, they are increasingly turning to social media for assistance when shopping in physical stores.
Brand tip: Create tutorials, FAQs and explainer videos tailored to your target audience’s needs. Make sure your content educates and informs in an engaging and entertaining way. Instead of trying to sell the benefits or value, promote how the product fits into their lifestyle. At Shoptalk Fall 2024, Michael McGoohan, President of Solo Stove and Chief Growth Officer of Solo Brands, shared that one of their customer personas is called the “outdoor host” and they create content specially to appeal to these individuals. The messages are focused on the moments and memories customers can create — such as making pizza outdoors or having a s’mores party — rather than on selling specific product features or benefits.
2. It enables consumers to validate products, mainly through user-generated content (UGC)
Social media has given ordinary consumers the ability to share their opinions on everything. Now, anyone can be a food critic or product tester. Interestingly, consumers have grown to trust content created by their peers more than traditional ads. Shoppers scour social platforms seeking out customer reviews, testimonials, and even unboxing videos to gain more information on products and see how people are using them in real life. Consumers believe that real customers will tell the truth, which has turned UGC into powerful endorsements that increase consumer confidence and motivate purchasing.
Brand tip: Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your products by creating branded hashtags and offering incentives and rewards for posting content. Highlight this content on your pages to build credibility. At Shoptalk Fall 2024, Adam Goldenberg, Co-Founder and CEO of Fabletics told attendees that they started posting customer videos on their web pages after discovering customers were seeking out these videos before making purchases to get more information about their products. The strategy is paying off, with Adam reporting that when a shopper watches a video, it increases conversion by 10%.
At the same event, Ryan Close, Founder and CEO of Bartesian, shared that his brand started looking for customers who were posting organically simply because they didn’t have the budget to pay influencers. They found that shoppers gravitated toward the authenticity of the content. “So, we leaned in and thankfully it really paid off. We’ve had Instagram posts that have generated 130 million views.”
3. It allows consumers to interact with the brand during the decision-making process
Social media enables real-time interaction, so consumers can connect with a brand throughout their shopping journey. They utilize polls, live Q&A sessions and interactive influencer stories as part of the decision-making process. In addition, more and more shoppers are participating in live commerce events. While live commerce made its debut in the 1980s on cable TV channels such as QVC and HSN, social media has taken it to the next level.
Brand tip: Leverage interactive features on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram to connect with your audience in real time. Utilize polling and product experts and influencers to answer questions in real time. For example, Sephora uses Instagram polls to gather customer input on beauty trends and product preferences and to encourage participation in themed discussions. The brand poses questions such as, “Bold lips or smoky eyes for date night?” This approach not only fosters a sense of connection with the brand, it also provides valuable market research.
Produce live commerce events with hosts your customers can relate to and who are willing to let viewers into their lives. At Shoptalk Fall 2024, business leaders from Poshmark, Kendra Scott and SHEIN all agreed that customers want to see real people interact with your brand and its products in real time. Steven Tristan Young, Poshmark's Chief Marketing Officer, urged attendees to Invest in training the top influencers you work with in the art of live selling because “it’s not as easy as it looks.”
4. It exposes consumers to new brands through personalized and targeted advertising
Social media allows consumers to share a wealth of information about themselves. These platforms leverage this data to enable brands to deliver highly personalized ads targeting specific demographics, behaviors and preferences, reaching potential customers with pinpoint accuracy.
Brand tip: Invest in data-driven ad campaigns. Use tools like Facebook Ads Manager or TikTok’s Creator Marketplace to deliver ads tailored to specific audience segments. Peloton has had great success using targeted social media advertising to reach a millennial male audience. The first phase of their "Find your push. Find your power." campaign featuring NFL players and brothers T.J. and J.J. Watt launched on Nov. 1, 2024, on Facebook and Instagram, as well as various other channels including TV and over-the-top streaming content. It has already raked up 19 million views on YouTube.
5. It speeds the discovery process, mainly because of social media influencers
Social media influencers play a significant role in introducing consumers to new brands and products. Their recommendations carry weight because followers perceive them as authentic and relatable. While the influencer movement started organically, once brands discovered the power influencers have to attract new audiences and expand brand awareness, they began to forge mutually beneficial partnerships.
Brand tip: Partner with influencers who align with your brand’s values and audience. Focus on micro-influencers for niche markets to maximize authenticity and engagement. At Shoptalk Spring 2024, Kimmy Scott, CEO and Co-Founder of the beauty brand Fig. 1 said that the company discovered that micro-influencers actually influence larger creators. She shared that when one of their favorite small influencers published a paid post about their dissolving face oil wipe, it was seen by an influencer with over 15 million followers. “She went on the site, bought the product and wrote a long detailed feature — and product sales skyrocketed almost 2,000%.”
6. It provides consumers with an additional purchasing channel
While shoppers initially turned to social media for browsing, discovery and consideration, today almost every social platform has integrated eCommerce features that enable consumers to buy products without leaving the app.
Brand tip: Invest in modern technology that makes it easy for you to integrate commerce on existing platforms, as well as new ones that might emerge in the future. Social commerce should be included in your omnichannel strategy — offering a frictionless and consistent experience. Brands such as H&M have been able to drive significant revenue through the strategic use of shoppable posts on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram.
7. It facilitates communication and creates feedback loops
The conversational design of social media has made it much easier for customers to connect with brands directly and vice versa. This two-way dialogue not only fosters trust for consumers, it provides an opportunity for brands to collect valuable feedback.
Brand tip: Make engaging with customers through comments, direct messages and reviews a priority. Responsiveness and consistency are key. Demonstrate that you value your customer’s opinions by using feedback to improve your offerings and service: Consider hiring a community manager. While your social team manages your brand content and presentation, the community manager role focuses on developing your digital community. They track your brand’s mentions across social media platforms, joining relevant discussions and responding to questions about your brand.
Conclusion
Social media has fundamentally reshaped the customer journey by placing consumers at the center of the process. For brands, this shift presents an incredible opportunity to engage audiences, build trust and drive sales. By understanding how social media influences the way consumers shop and make purchasing decisions, brands can implement strategies that fully leverage it help build awareness, drive conversions and enhance loyalty.
Explore our Trends & Innovations pillar page to learn more about how changes including voice commerce, shoppable videos, phygital retail and more are impacting the ever-evolving commerce landscape.
Anita J. Temple is the Corporate Journalist at commercetools. She was a fashion editor at Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) and W Magazine before launching a career as a freelance writer and creative producer. She has written content and worked on a wide range of marketing projects for companies including Dreamworks, Walmart, Coca-Cola, Verizon, and Adidas.