For most consumers in Southeast Asia, social shopping is not a new concept. In the region where social media penetration rate is at 55%, the line between social networks and ecommerce is completely blurred. It has also become a key platform for B2C and C2C transactions. Unfortunately, only 17% of the analyzed brands around the world have made use of Facebook’s shoppable page.
Our explanation to the surprisingly low number is rather simple — brands tend to shy away from social commerce because of the lack in integration to its existing ecommerce system.
But L’Oréal is an exception.
All over the region, the French cosmetics company has been fore-fronting at employing technologies to enhance the experience of its shoppers, including the recent partnership with Watsons which allows consumers across Asia to try on makeup virtually. In Southeast Asia, L’Oréal is capitalizing on the burgeoning Facebook of 338 million through the launch of the social commerce platforms with the region’s leading brand ecommerce enabler, aCommerce.
Why Social Commerce by aCommerce?
Given that social commerce in Southeast Asia is expected to flourish even more, it makes now the prime opportunity for brands and retailers to jump on board, experiment and lead ahead of the curve of social shopping.
aCommerce introduces the social commerce service to help brands find the right way to convert the existing followers on the brand’s social platforms into potential purchasers by allowing the targeted audiences to discover, browse, and buy directly from Instagram, Facebook, or LINE posts. The service also provides on-demand communication and a virtual interaction through chats, whether it be Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, or Line. Keeping all of the brand’s communication in one thread.
Growing social commerce demand pushes L’Oréal to look for an integrated tool
Understanding the growing demand for social shopping and the numerous introductions for features such as Facebook Marketplace and Instagram’s shoppable features, L’Oréal turns to aCommerce, who has been overseeing L’Oréal’s Facebook page in terms of ads and posts from the beginning, for a solution.
The brief from L’Oréal was straight-forward. The company wants a consolidated platform that will be able to integrate the orders and fulfillment of the social commerce demand into its existing ecommerce system.
The Implementation and Success from L’Oréal Social Commerce Facebook Page
With an integrated social commerce tool, L’Oréal is able to allow its potential shoppers to make a purchase via Facebook, Facebook Messenger, LINE official account. They will be able to order through discreet chat windows (as opposed to a phone call or a website).
aCommerce also supplements the brand with content, messaging and tone-of-voice that are exclusively personalized to the consumer. It also allows them to have a direct chat with a Customer Service agent or “Beauty Expert”. In return, L’Oréal is able to secure the customer data that can be used to strengthen the relationship between the brand and customers, as well as increasing the engagement with the brand.
By offering a quick and responsive response through Facebook Messenger, L’Oreal is able to fasten the process of transactions and lower the Cost to Serve (CTS). The presence of its shoppable features also reduces the amount of investment that goes into setting an ecommerce website.
Over a period of 5 months since its initial launch, the new social commerce platform powered by aCommerce seen a surge in customer engagement on L’Oréal Facebook fan page, with an average inquiry-to-sale conversion rate of 22%.
Want to learn more about what social media can contribute to your sales performance? Contact mandy@acommerce.asia for more.