By 2018, retail ecommerce will reach nearly $2.5 trillion worldwide, according to eMarketer’s forecasts. Currently, China tops the ecommerce markets, followed closely by the US, the UK taking a distant third. With over 60% of consumers researching products online before making purchase decisions it’s no wonder online sales are climbing and unsurprising that ecommerce retailers are doing their best to make purchases happen online.
In 2014, Social media sites with the highest influence include Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter – with peak volumes of traffic in that order. Facebook dominated the realm last year sending 60% of all ecommerce referrals. Thanks to its broad accessibility and user-reliance, social media’s influence on ecommerce continues to rocket, and Shopify’s analysis of 37 million social media visits resulting in 529,000 orders further illuminates this power.
Though some may dismiss social media as a frivolous pursuit of the idle, it’s proved to be much more than selfies and gossip. It provides an effective manner for retailers to connect with their consumers personally and individually, and in 2015 it’s predicted that over 5% of online spend will be directed from social media sites. The top social network platforms further provide suitable consumer engagement platforms and an array of marketing tools. Add to that the fact that there are over 100 million mobile shoppers in the US alone, and the projection that this total will increase by 49% by 2018, it’s clear the social media is a formidable tool.
Everybody benefits. Consumers want the ease and convenience, and businesses large and small know that social advertising is a key driver of growth. The National Retail Federation’s 2015 study shows that 58% of small businesses are increasing their yearly social media marketing, with a quarter of retailers naming Facebook as their top customer acquisition channel. Moreover, 60% of consumers have made purchases from small businesses thanks to Twitter.
Bigcommerce states that 43% of SMBs report they want more help with generating ROI from their social advertisements. Because the social media audience is so large, targeting the right audience can be difficult. Facebook’s Custom Audiences advertising platform has 145 separate targeting groups and success metrics available for optimizing advertising, and in the past manual A/B testing has been the only way to test its most suitable usage. Built in partnership with Boostable, Bigcommerce recently announced Product Ads which automatically optimizes ads for highest ROI.
With native support on Facebook and Twitter, Product Ads provides many advantages including:
Product Ads uses sophisticated targeting techniques to help find new customers, and helps generate traffic and maximize promotions while increasing awareness of underperforming inventory. Automated audience targeting, bidding and optimization ensures marketing investments are fully exploited and revenues amplified, while the ability to automatically import product images and details, tailor-make ads for Facebook and Twitter, and manage numerous campaigns from a single unified dashboard ensures resources are put to their best and most efficient use. Additionally, the ability to monitor campaigns through solid reporting tools allows users to extend campaigns which are performing well while ferreting out hidden opportunities to garner value from products performing inadequately.
Bigcommerce’s Product Ads are available to all US-based clients in the Bigcommerce Marketplace for no additional fee. Tim Schulz, chief product officer for Bigcommerce, states, “The global reach of social platforms like Facebook and Twitter present a massive opportunity for our merchants to promote their products and attract new customers. This unique, integrated advertising solution is an example of how we continue to invest in building the industry’s best platform for merchant success with a comprehensive set of tools designed to help our clients grow and scale their business.” The head of SMB at Twitter, Russ Laraway, has expressed excitement for this new platform and remarks that, “It will without a doubt enable advertisers of all sizes and verticals to more efficiently manage and optimize their campaigns on Twitter.”
Take a look at some of Bigcommerce’s effective solutions with a free 15-day trial now. Already powering some of the world’s most successful online stores, it won’t take long for them to bowl you over and sign you up to a powerful ecommerce solution perfectly suited to your needs.
Sponsored By Bigcommerce
By Jennifer Klostermann
