[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2016\/03\/30\/4-ways-to-drive-revenue-with-communities-built-for-commerce\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2016\/03\/30\/4-ways-to-drive-revenue-with-communities-built-for-commerce\/","headline":"Communities for commerce: 4 ways to drive revenue","name":"Communities for commerce: 4 ways to drive revenue","description":"Build stronger and more successful relationships with customers by using communities for commerce that enhance the customer experience.","datePublished":"2016-03-30","dateModified":"2021-12-28","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/stephen-hamrick\/#Person","name":"Steve Hamrick","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/stephen-hamrick\/","identifier":158,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/673a4e052e9bf27821be3ca47ad79158c47bfff07b3db964aab4883680901218?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/673a4e052e9bf27821be3ca47ad79158c47bfff07b3db964aab4883680901218?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/communities-for-commerce.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/communities-for-commerce.jpg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2016\/03\/30\/4-ways-to-drive-revenue-with-communities-built-for-commerce\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/","name":"Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q26643"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/e-commerce\/","name":"E-Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q484847"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/trends-commerce\/","name":"Trends","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fad","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q787045"]}],"wordCount":873,"keywords":["B2B","Brand Advocates","Commerce","Communities","Retail"],"articleBody":"If consumers have access to a nearly endless number of products from thousands of sellers, how can companies stand out from the pack? Communities for commerce are leading the way.Organizations are creating a superior buying experience by delivering timely, relevant content to customers in one central location \u2013 namely, an online social community with user-generated reviews, Q&As, product ratings, and more.By incorporating this information directly into your e-commerce platform, customers no longer have to venture away from your site to conduct their own product research. And when they\u2019re finally ready to buy, they\u2019re more confident in their purchase, happier with their items, and, potentially, more loyal advocates of your brand.Despite the years-long existence of customer communities, questions continue to arise about their role in commerce.Top 4 benefits of communities for commerce1. Communities for commerce: content drives organic trafficMost of us can relate to this kind of buying experience: Before you buy, you search online. At this stage, you\u2019re not yet aware of which products might actually work for your needs \u2013 you\u2019re just exploring. When you search, often what comes up first in the results, beyond traditional advertising, is online community content. This is because community content often ranks very well with search engines.The reasons behind the high ranking in online search results are simple, but powerful, and they have to do with people. People write questions and discuss topics using keywords that an everyday person might use when searching for a product or solution.For example, a search of \u201cWhat kind of running shoes are best for a person who over-pronates?\u201d might lead to a community conversation about shoes, because the search query matches a forum thread title or the language style used in the community.Additionally, insightful and interesting online community content is often shared or reposted to other blog or social media sites, increasing the community page relevancy.But most of those traditional online community pages end up being dead ends. Consumers don\u2019t have a call to action or an offer for another product that might meet their needs. This represents an opportunity for businesses to provide online community content that allows consumers quick access to e-commerce actions.2. Successfully drive conversionsOnline shopping experiences often start on different digital experiences: a product landing page, a social media site, or a mobile app. In each of these cases, online community content can significantly help customers move through their buying journey, as they ultimately become more confident that a particular product is right for them.But achieving this requires implementing community content into the product catalog experience, enabling customers to view key information \u2013 such as reviews, Q&As, discussions, and blogs \u2013 associated with the products they\u2019re considering buying.3. Drive sales of complex goodsWith smart devices and other software-driven products, many previously \u201csimple\u201d devices have become much more complex for consumers. Customization and personalization make something as simple as purchasing a pair of shoes a much more complicated buying experience.Consumers also face technical challenges in purchasing smart devices and software-driven products that can communicate with one another. In fact, they may need to answer a variety of questions, including:Does this product support the protocols and standards I need for my particular application?Which of these devices works best together in combination with one another?What kinds of solutions can I build with a combination of different products being used together?By providing customers with Q&As that support their product evaluations \u2013 and even escalating unanswered questions to call center representatives \u2013 you can reduce buying anxiety and increase the likelihood of a successful purchase that won\u2019t result in post-sales support issues or product returns.4. Provide insightsFinally, and perhaps most importantly, companies want to know much more about their consumers\u2019 buying journeys, including:What questions were asked before a decision was made?How many conversations and interactions did it take to make a final purchasing decision?Which social content \u2013 blogs, reviews, Q&As, etc. \u2013 helped influence a purchase?Which pieces of paid content actually drove sales?By being connected with the actual commerce catalog, and knowing exactly which questions relate to which products, you can provide deeper, more meaningful engagement metrics around what drives successful conversions. This, in turn, enables companies to repeat successful transactions and create happy and loyal customers.These insights also become the guideposts by which companies can better manage and scale their online communities. Often, they only have engagement metrics that community managers can use to measure results \u2013 rather than more robust information that indicates whether the inbound Web traffic and click-through actually led to a desired outcome, for example.By connecting precise data about customer discussions and purchasing journeys, you can gain unparalleled insight into how online communities influence conversions and drive sales.We\u2019re just getting startedInteractions beginning on a public community can easily transition into a private space.This opens the possibility of further reducing barriers, so companies can build stronger and more successful relationships with their customers.  Every digital moment matters.Are you making the most of them?1,000 business leaders dish on how to stand out from the crowd with a great CX. 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