Social selling and social commerce can seem to be the same thing as both promote social shopping. However, there are differences and it is very important to know what those differences are before getting involved in either one of these channels. Social commerce uses social networking websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest as mediums to promote and sell products and services. On the other hand, social selling is the practice of using social media channels to connect with customers, develop a connection with them and engage with potential leads. This can help in achieving target sales. Let’s dig deeper and understand the differences between social selling and social commerce.

In social selling, businesses use social media platforms to market a brand and not focus on sales. Whereas, social commerce is the more direct approach, making marketplaces within social media platforms to sell products and services to customers. These online stores on social media platforms make it easier than ever for customers to find and purchase products. Social selling focuses more on giving product awareness and information to its potential customers. While social commerce focuses more on selling products to target audiences interested and generating sales.

Social selling is a form of marketing strategy used to promote a product or service, and the main goal is to improve customer engagement and generate leads and thereby convert prospects into customers. Social commerce is a form of ecommerce for selling products and services on various social platforms and the main objective is to enhance the shopping experience and drive traffic to online stores.

Social selling and social commerce are proven emerging strategies used by many brands to share content and engage and build relationships with customers through social media platforms. And many businesses have improved their sales and customer engagement with these methods.