Trend
Shopping going social is a recent trend in retail business which involves the use of the social media to between an investor and his or her consumers to transact business.
Relevance to Retailing
Shopping via the social media involves the investor convincing willing consumers to buy the goods. In most cases, the retailer or an investor will display the products or the services he or she offers via his Twitter or Facebook page then comments about them. On the other hand, the followers interested in the products and services displayed in the social media contacts the retailer via the same media and express their intent to buy the products or the services. In such a case, both the retailer and consumer arrange on how to transact business hence the term retailing (Kacker and Rozenn 223).
Impact to the Retailing Industry
The use of the social media to offer retailing services plays a vital role in enhancing the retailing industry. This trend has led to increased efficiency in the industry leading to reduced costs of operations. As a matter of fact, an investor can save much money through the use of social media to market and sell his or products and services. This is because no movement and no paperwork are required in the transaction. On the other hand, shopping via the social plays an important role in widening the market for retail goods. Advancement in technology has seen many people use the social media to share information (Felsted n.p). This is to mean that an investor can attract as many consumers as possible to his or business through the social media. Finally, shopping through the social enhances faster communication between the retailer and the followers. In so doing, it makes retail business to be very simple and easier just as Stambor (n.p) reveals.
Works Cited
Felsted, Andrea. “Retail enters third phase of digital evolution.” Ft.com. 18 Nov. 2015. Web http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e4ca5a7a-70ba-11e5-9b9e- 690fdae72044.html#axzz45bPKb1XH
Kacker, Manish, and Rozenn Perrigot. "Retailer Use of a Professional Social Media Network: Insights from Franchising." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 30 (2016): 222- 33. Web.
Stambor, Zak. “Why retailers can’t resist social media.” Internet Retailer. 1 Feb. 2016. Web. https://www.internetretailer.com/2016/02/01/why-retailers-cant-resist-social-media
