India to bring next level innovation in social commerce, say experts

On November 30th, the Impact Digital Influencer Conference featured a panel discussion with the central theme of ‘Social Commerce – Shaping the Future of Influencer Marketing.’ With influencers playing an increasingly pivotal role in brand expansion, social commerce has emerged as a domain where influencers can exert a profound influence on how customers perceive a brand.

Atique Kazi, President of Data, Performance & Digital Products at GroupM, expertly moderated the panel discussion, which included Apoorva Maheshwari, Head of Marketing at Bestseller, Iffat Jivan, Business Head at Ed-a-Mamma, Anusree Menon, Segment & Content Marketing Lead at Vi Business, and Kunwar Raj, a Finance Influencer.

During the discussion, panelists offered their diverse yet complementary interpretations of what social commerce represents to them.

Anusree Menon articulated her perspective: “Social Commerce, in my view, is when there is a seamless fusion of discovery and shopping capabilities within the platform itself. This, in my view, is what defines social commerce. It’s crucial to delineate what social commerce is not because many marketers mistakenly assume it’s solely related to performance, advertisements, or content directly linked to ad purchases. That, in reality, falls under performance-driven marketing. Therefore, it’s essential to distinguish between the essence of social commerce and what it isn’t to assess its relevance within your specific category and explore it more profoundly.”

Emphasizing the impact of social media, Iffat Jivan noted, “Coming from a brand that heavily relies on content and storytelling, we leverage our content storytelling to drive engagement on our Instagram profiles. We’ve observed that a substantial portion of our traffic and the highest conversion rates originate from our Instagram handles. Essentially, it boils down to delivering captivating content for consumption and providing shopping opportunities.”

Apoorva Maheshwari delved into the criteria brands consider when choosing influencers for their campaigns, stating, “Most of the brands we collaborate with have a significant presence and reach across the country. Consequently, reach becomes a crucial factor. If we need to narrow our focus to a specific region or part of the country, we might engage regional influencers. We evaluate critical performance metrics such as engagement levels, audience demographics, and follower counts. Equally significant is the alignment between the influencer’s style and the brand’s identity.”

Concluding the discussion, Atique Kazi commented, “The convergence of retail and the influence of social media is a potent combination. I believe India has witnessed several successful social commerce campaigns, but it’s a space we are closely monitoring. I anticipate that the next wave of innovation in this field will originate from India.”