Over the past year there has been a lot of activity when it comes to using social media to drive direct sales. Twitter has done several trials with companies like American Express, and they are developing their own platform that will allow users to buy items with just a Tweet. In addition, Facebook has been slowly developing and testing a similar feature where customers can buy directly from the NewsFeed.
These are just two of the biggest examples of how social media companies are looking to add a potentially significant revenue stream to their portfolios. Other platforms like Pinterest and Instagram are also investigating this potentially very lucrative way of doing business.
Some of them are using third party programs, such as Gumroad, which allow you to add a shopping cart just about anywhere you can imagine. You can add this platform to anything from social media sites to your own blog for an easy and professional way to do business.
The list of news reports that have come out over the past year about how social media companies are planning to expand into the eCommerce niche have been nearly endless. It is expected that in 2015, this will grow even more. With that in mind, MarketingLand has recently published a detailed report about the current state of social media based eCommerce and some insights into its future. You can find this report HERE if you are interested in getting an update on exactly where each of the main social media networks currently stand.
