WWD – Forging Relationships: Social Platforms Forgo Selling, Promote Engagement

Today, retail is all about engagement: learning what the consumer wants, while promoting products and messages — often without a selling mentality. And it is making everyone more social.

McKinsey’s Nora Aufreiter, senior partner in marketing and sales, and retail practices, says social media remains largely about discovery and advocacy versus transaction.

“Almost three quarters of consumers rely on social networks to guide purchase decisions, and photo-based interfaces like Pinterest, Tumblr, etc., have really driven engagement,” Aufreiter says, saying reports show significant increases in traffic and conversion when products are posted on these sites. “Social will continue to play a role in commerce, just not how it was first imagined.”

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