Photo Credit: Carlina Teteris
Look around the world, and Instagram Shopping — which lets you buy a pair of fish flops without leaving the platform — looks like child’s play.
In China, ecommerce giants like Pinduoduo sell to 683m people through livestreams and messaging apps. But so-called social commerce (the meeting of social networks and ecommerce) hasn’t caught fire elsewhere.
Next stop: India?
Last year, the India-based social commerce platform, Meesho, raised $125m to get small businesses in India selling on WhatsApp and Instagram.
WhatsApp now has 400m+ users in India — and experts say the platform could soon be the next frontier for the hybridization of messaging and payment systems.
Does social commerce actually matter?
It sounds bland: Instead of clicking between Amazon and Instagram, now they’re in one place. But the potential of social commerce is way bigger.
Take Shihuituan, a Chinese e-grocer that uses WeChat to organize buyers into groups. The company recruits “community leaders” in rural areas who buy on behalf of ~100 customers each.
Use cases like this can help regular people get bulk discounts on shipments — and help level the playing field for small businesses.
