Social Q&A – Social Commerce Done Right [Infographic]

Here’s a great infographic from TurnTo, one of the leading social apps for e-commerce sites (Kiehls, Vitamin Shoppe, shoes.com…), on ‘Social Q&A’.

Social Q&A is an increasingly popular e-commerce site feature that allows shoppers to ask pre-purchase product-related questions, and get them answered by customers who have already purchased the product. Astonishingly 9 out of 10 questions posed get answered answered the same day.

Like other social commerce technology, social Q&A helps socialises an otherwise solitary e-commerce experience, and does so by creating connections between customers. It’s simple and smart, and refreshingly free from any techno-babble voodoo.  Rather than read what other people have wanted to say or like – social Q&A allows customers to get answers to their own specific questions.

And, according to TurnTo, it pays – for the retailer and the shopper. Social Q&A is like product reviews on steroids – personalised customer to customer communication.

• Inviting shoppers to ask questions and get them answered by existing shoppers can boost store loyalty (propensity to repurchase) by 15-40%
• Social Q&A generates 2-4 times more user content for SEO than customer reviews
• Shoppers who use Social Q&A to ask pre-purchase questions are 10×15 times more likely to purchase
• Shoppers who read Social Q&A dialogue around a product are 3-7x more likely to purchase

We’re big advocates of social features on e-commerce sites such as Social Q&A, that allow customers to connect where they buy.  Helping customers to connect with each other where they shop is, as we have long argued, is the essence of social commerce.  By helping people connect where they shop, we humanise the shopping experience.