Social media is the next big driver of e-commerce and we want to give you a crash course in all the latest social commerce terminology.
IN-STREAM: This term is used when checkout is handled within a social media news feed or stream. This is the most desired transaction type for retailers because it reduces the friction between the marketing of a product and point of sale.
OUT-OF-STREAM: Out-of-stream refers to transactions occurring outside of the newsfeed or stream. This can sometimes be one additional step (“one page checkout”) or several. An example of out-of-stream is when followers click on a product link you’ve shared and are taken away from the social platform to purchase the product at your store or someone else’s.
F-COMMERCE: F-commerce is shorthand for Facebook-commerce. Facebook commerce refers to three e-commerce efforts related to Facebook: (1) hosting a version of your eCommerce store on a Facebook fan page tab, (2) promoting your products in-stream to your Facebook followers or in Facebook advertising, or (3) in some cases, in-stream sales.
HASHTAG COMMERCE: Also known as action tags or hashtag selling. Hashtag commerce is the process of selling products using a buy-signaling hashtag and a product hashtag. For example, if you were selling a pair of shoes titled “Blue Suede Shoes” and you wanted your Twitter followers to be able to purchase them, followers would execute a purchase transaction by sharing a tweet including #BlueSuedeShoes (product hashtag) and #BuyNow (buy-signaling hashtag).
CLICK TO BUY: Click to buy refers to a one-click purchasing process. One click could trigger an in-stream transaction with a previously set-up payment card or it would trigger an email with an invoice or link to purchase the product out-of-stream.
COMMENT SELLING: Comment selling is the tactic of selling products to individuals in-stream using a simple comment, like “Sold” or “Buy Now.” This is similar to hashtag commerce because individuals typically have to use a certain keyword in the comment section of a product post to trigger the transaction.
EXPERIENTIAL COMMERCE: Most of the topics discussed here are about bringing your store to social media, experiential commerce is about bringing social media to your store. Using the power of product reviews, social comments and shares, retailers can help influence buyers.
T-COMMERCE: T-commerce is shorthand for TV Commerce. TV commerce is the opportunity to directly purchase items during a TV show or ad display, using digital payment technology to process the transaction during a single viewing session.
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