Social Commerce

This chapter analyses the development of social commerce, highlighting the role of user-generated content and influencers in impacting consumer behaviour. Social commerce integrates e-commerce with social media, enabling companies to set up online shops on social media platforms and engage users through personalised advertising and reviews. Key future developments include increased personalisation through machine learning, social VR and AR experiences for immersive shopping, live-streamed sales, and virtual influencers. Ethical and sustainable practices in social commerce are also expected to gain prominence. However, challenges such as security, privacy, the risk of impulse buying, ethical dilemmas, and user aversion to intrusive advertising and tracking must be addressed. The chapter concludes that responsible practices and consumer education are crucial for social commerce to remain a positive, user-centric force in e-commerce.