Cracking the ‘Commerce’ Part of Social Commerce

So, what can we learn from the SMB's experience? The following are the core strategies and perspectives Ecwid has collected from its most successful Facebook stores:

1. Recognize that Facebook will not be your primary online sales mechanism; it will be one of many. Right now few would recommend Facebook as a stand-alone sales channel. Instead, Facebook stores should complement other e-commerce channels like websites, blogs, mobile apps and other social networks like Pinterest. Facebook's ubiquity and large audience (more than 60 percent of all internet users in the U.S.) make it critically important for retailers to establish a presence there, even if actual sales transactions ultimately occur on another site. Facebook visitors aren't necessarily looking to make a purchase when they encounter a product on the social network, but it helps to be aware of the product and how it's regarded by other Facebook users in order to peak their interest in buying it later.