Amidst cute puppy videos and a friend's vacation pics on your social media feed, you spot a pair of trendy sneakers or a stylish dress. And you think you need them. That's how social commerce works.

Looking at the immense popularity of social media platforms, businesses now prefer social media marketing. In 2022, it made $724 billion globally, and experts predict it will skyrocket to $6 trillion by 2030.

Capitalizing on social commerce in these times calls for someone who's an old hand at it. That's where Shane Quigley, an e-commerce expert and entrepreneur, steps in.

He is the co-founder of SHIFT Marketplace, the UK's leading expert in Amazon. With his team, he offers diverse services to boost businesses on Amazon. This includes strategic consulting, operational support, and the implementation of tailored marketing and sales strategies.

Shane also keeps a keen eye on social commerce trends and shares a lot of potential tips to help businesses strategically leverage social media platforms. He aptly puts it, "In the fast-paced online shopping world, TikTok and Amazon are going head-to-head. But it's not just them; Shopify, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat are also in the mix. It's a fierce competition, and businesses can play it smart to come out on top."

Let's dig deeper into Shane's observations and strategies to navigate the competitive social media landscape effectively.

TikTok: Creative and Trendy Exposure

TikTok, renowned for its vibrant and creative community, offers businesses a unique opportunity to showcase their products engagingly. By tapping into TikTok Shops, businesses can reach a younger demographic, particularly Gen Z. The platform focuses on trends and virality, making it perfect for boosting brand visibility through creative marketing efforts.

Amazon: Broad Reach and Trust

Amazon, an e-commerce behemoth, provides businesses access to a massive user base. It has established trust among consumers for reliable and swift deliveries. Using Amazon's connections with Snapchat, Meta, Shopify, and Pinterest helps businesses reach more customers. Amazon is known for encouraging impulse buys, especially through collaborations that let people buy directly from ads. This makes Amazon important in social commerce.

Shopify: Seamless Integration

Shopify joins in with the Buy with Prime app, making it easy for businesses to connect Amazon and Shopify. This app improves how customers interact with businesses. While it may lack some features now, like Amazon product reviews and a shopping cart for buying more than one thing, it's getting better.

In essence, businesses can do well by using different platforms and adjusting their approach based on who they're trying to reach and what they're selling.

Keeping up with changes on each platform helps businesses change their strategies for selling and advertising. Shane looks at what each platform does best and helps businesses make a good plan for selling online. For more tips on selling online, check out his LinkedIn.