There is no doubt that the presence of social media has increased massively during the past few years. Not only do these platforms allow us to connect with friends and family, but they have become an integral part of the online retail community and some even feel that they have influenced a handful of major elections. However, we could very well only be witnessing the beginning of what is in store. What changes are set to take place in the near future, how will these impact the online retail community and perhaps most importantly, are there any platforms which budding entrepreneurs should consider?

Let us quickly examine the answers to all three of these interesting questions.

More than “Social” Platforms

The intention of original social media providers such as Instagram and MySpace was rather straightforward and perhaps even a bit innocent. They were simply online methods for contacts to keep up to date with one another. In fact, some may even recall the days when Facebook was solely intended for college graduates to reconnect. Times have certainly changed.

Social media is no longer for children, teenagers, and young adults. Its effects have spread to virtually every corner of the globe and this very same influence continues to grow. It is interesting to note that these concepts seem to have been lost on major retailers until relatively recently. We are now witnessing the largest brand names in the business becoming involved with the social media advertising marketplace.

It is nonetheless important to mention that you do not have to possess a great deal of money in order to effectively sell Facebook pages or promote specific products. This is due in no small part to a growing number of user-friendly e-commerce platforms which have been specifically designed to work in conjunction with social media portals. What are some of the benefits associated with such unique methods of advertising?

On Your Side 24 Hours a Day

One issue which many businesses face is that they do not have the time to manually handle multiple social media accounts. Thus, they tend to shy away from the benefits that this sector has to offer. This myth should be corrected without delay.

Efficient e-commerce platforms such as Shopify are specifically geared to address the needs of social media advertising. Some of the many advantages associated with this system include (but are not limited to):

• The ability to sell products across multiple channels;
• Real-time inventory management an client engagement;
• On-the-spot adjustments when needed;
• Customised templates;
• Integration with other portals and web pages.

These are a handful of reasons why businesses are migrating towards more advanced platforms in order to address changing requirements. The entire online retail sector is being transformed by the influence of social media and this pace certainly shows no signs of slowing down. The only question is which enterprises will be able to take advantage of such systems in the near future.

Author

Lucy Smith.

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