Social media is now the new shopping mall

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Sonali has a keen interest in clothing and fashion accessories. She used to go to malls and shop from fashion sites in the past. However, nowadays, she neither goes to malls nor browses fashion sites. These days, she shops through Instagram. Not just Sonali, but many people have made Instagram their new shopping destination. People are buying clothes, shoes, watches, mobile covers, jewelry, and various other things through Instagram.

Not just Instagram, but shopping is also happening through other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Both these sites have the highest number of users in India.

These platforms have also become a new destination for travel agencies and tour operators. Agencies are offering customised tour packages here.

This trend is not limited to India alone but is prevalent worldwide. According to Meta, the parent company of Instagram, this social media platform has more than a billion users who follow at least one company or business.

Shopping through social media platforms has experienced significant growth, much like e-commerce sites, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since people couldn’t go out for shopping during lockdowns, they started engaging in online shopping even more. Instagram and Facebook leveraged this opportunity by connecting buyers and businesses.

Several new e-commerce startups are adopting the strategy of selling and directly connecting with customers through social media. These startups are known as social commerce startups. Meesho, DealShare, and Bulbul are among the leading startups in this space.

There are several benefits of shopping through Instagram and Facebook for both buyers and sellers. Buyers have access to a wide range of options, can order customized products, and find high-end fashion products at the right price. Since sellers aim to expand their customer base and attract as many users as possible, they generally maintain good product quality.

Sellers pay more attention to their customers, who can directly ask questions, express dissatisfaction with product quality, and provide feedback. Sellers benefit from having a large social media platform, which means they have a built-in potential customer base. Their marketing and advertising costs are significantly reduced, and they focus on making their pages attractive. They utilise posts, videos, stories, and social media-specific ad campaigns, along with word-of-mouth marketing, to promote their products. Word-of-mouth marketing means, seller provides a good product and if customers are satisfied with the product quality they will recommend the product to others and will promote the seller’s product.

However, there is one negative aspect associated with this type of shopping. Some fraudulent pages deceive people, but conducting research can help identify genuine platforms.

Now you understand why Instagram has become a mall for Sonali these days and how she not only keeps up with the latest fashion trends but also saves money through Instagram shopping.