Question

Prepare a brief report on how companies are using Instagram or another company of your choosing as a social e-commerce platform

Answer 1

Firms these days have moved towards digital platforms as a way to create awareness about their brand and products. This helps them to reach out to a wider audience and at a low cost as compared to the traditional marketing channels.

The most used platform these days is Instagram. It is basically a social media platform where people share their pictures. The viewers get an option to like, comment etc. on those pictures.

Here is how companies use Instagram as a social e-commerce platform-

1. Take order through Instagram-

Some small firms which do not have much budget make Instagram pages and share the product details such as price, photos etc. on the Instagram page. People can directly place order on those Instagram pages through chat.

2. It gives companies an option to engage with customers

Instagram has certain features, like the story sharing, or Live streaming feature, which companies use in order to engage with their customers on a regular basis. This helps users to feel connected to the company and creates brand recall.

3. Hashtags

When companies post any content, they use relevant hashtags related to the content of the post. This helps them to create a buzz about their product and drive sales.

4. Instagram Ads

Instagram has this feature of paid Ads, wherein you can pay and post your ads, and relevant people will see your ads when they surf Instagram. There is an option to add a call to action button such as "Buy Now" which helps to drive more visits to the e-commerce website.

5.Online Competitions

Companies organize various challenges such as photography challenge, fitness challenge as per the product and encourage people to take part in them. The winners are awarded with free products or discounts on purchases.

6. Social Media Influencers

Companies engage with social media influencers who have a huge fan following and ask them to endorse/suggest their products to their followers. This helps to reach out to a much wider audience and hence increase sales of the product.