Social Media Users More Like Flower-Pickers Than Hunters

Online retailers have been desperately searching for ways to crack the social commerce code. Everyone knows that internet users are more likely to be online interacting through their social media accounts, instead of just logging onto the internet to find what they need. Many people are spending most of their day interacting on social media, so for retailers, social media is becoming very fertile ground to advertise and brand position.  But social media users are different than internet searchers; they are more like desultory flower pickers, rather than conventional internet users, who are hyper-focused, single-target minded hunters.

Social media is less about search and stab and more about picking whatever thrill-scented trends or “topics” come into view, as this Nov. 10th, Wall Street Journal Article, FASTech: How Social Media Could Change Shopping At Wal-Mart, suggests:

Shoppers use search and social media differently, Harinarayan said. Searchers generally know which products they’re looking for, while social media users are browsing. “In search, people are extra-precise,” he said, “but in social media you follow things, like the San Francisco 49ers. It’s about topics as opposed to key words.”

With that in mind, how might online retailers take advantage? Many merchants don’t really know what to do to attract social media users to their brands, much less know how to actually convert “Likes” to sales.

Walmart has stepped out of the pack as one of the mavericks hoping to leverage social media for shopping purposes. According to the article cited above, Walmart is using Harinarayan’s services to help them “build a social layer around the physical stores.” That “social layer” has included the launch of new apps (iPad & iPhone) that “help shoppers browse stores for items, calculate their budgets, view coupons and share shopping lists.”

For most online retailers, building million dollar custom “social-commerce” solutions aren’t in the budget, though there are ways for etailers to develop their own social media layers, so they can get in on the B2B or B2C social grazing. On top of doing the basics, like being active on Facebook, Twitter, etc., some retailers are building custom contest apps., which  actually bring social media users back to their ecommerce store site. This solves the problem of finding a way to get social media users to actually leave social platforms and interact on your website. One model example of this is when Ecreamery recently held a custom ice cream contest for their Facebook fans via a FastPivot built social media contest app. that was installed on the store side, rather than through Facebook. For more information, read our Social Commerce Success Story article.

Not to stray from pushing high-tech solutions, but half the battle of creating an effective social layer is simply tuning in to what fans, followers, and your target market is talking about on social. Small businesses might have an easier time filtering through rudimentary-level “free” social media searches, but large retailers may want to look into custom social search solutions, much like what is done with SEO keyword searches. Find out what your target market is talking about and respond accordingly. Social searches should be checked real-time, based on trends and concepts, and responded to on an as-it’s-happening basis.

Just like botanical aficionados are constantly scanning for rare and mysterious inflorescents, stooping every so often to pluck or photograph random finds, like the precious Ghost Orchid (Polyrrhiza lindenii), so must retailers find a way to get out in the social media “field” to scan for industry-related treasure trends.

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