Social commerce is selling products through social media platforms, where shoppers discover items in posts, videos or live streams and can buy within the app or tap through to a store. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok have offered shopping features, although which features are available varies by region and changes over time.
A business typically connects its product catalogue to the platform, tags products in posts and manages orders through its existing ecommerce system. Some features allow checkout inside the app; others send the shopper to the website. A product feed keeps prices and stock current.
Fashion, beauty, homewares and gift retailers use social commerce to show products in context, run launches and reach new audiences. Cafés and venues use social channels to promote specials and take bookings, even when the purchase itself happens elsewhere.
Check which shopping features are actually available to Australian merchants before planning around them, as options change. Make sure stock levels sync, because overselling from a social post frustrates customers. Track sales by source so you know whether the effort pays, and keep up with customer messages, which arrive in volume.
For many shoppers, social media is where they first see a product. RetailCare connects ecommerce stores and product catalogues to social and marketing channels.