Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Anita Sedlić, Content Manager, Dialog komunikacije
We just stepped into 2017, which makes this the right time to take a look at the trends that it will bring us. Despite the pompous announcements of Facebook’s demise by 2017 a couple of years back, we have witnessed exactly the opposite development scenario. The largest social network has overcome all the challenges on its way, and in the new year it is poised to conquer new grounds!
With a total of 1.79 billion active monthly users, Facebook is set on top among social networks. The number of its users rises along with the increase in Internet population. But that’s not the only figure that is growing. According to GlobalWebIndex, the monthly rate of Facebook’s visits in most markets amounts to about 95%+, and 75% of its members logs in more than once a day, which puts Facebook even in front of WhatsApp (73%).
Paradoxically, while the number of fans is growing, fewer and fewer are willing to share their content on social networks. Still, there’s no need to panic: although users publish less, they still continue to visit Facebook. In order to take care of engagement in the future, Facebook will continue to adapt to a dynamic environment using the potential of video and e-commerce, or more precisely social commerce.
Video
A simple question: if a photo is worth a thousand words, then how many is a video worth? According to the statistics – a lot! Just last month, half of Facebook users watched video, one-fifth of users watched Facebook live video, and as many have shared their videos with others. Impressive, isn’t it? Users’ getting used to consuming video on social networks is exactly what is opening Facebook’s way of entering the world of online TV. Of course, struggle for its place under the sun on this competitive market will not be an easy task, but with the experience of broadcasting Amazon Prime pilot programs on Facebook in August 2016, and the resources available to Zuckerberg, this is a challenge which we should look forward to.
Social commerce
While the Asian social networks, such as WeChat and Line, already recognized the benefits of social commerce, its potential is largely unrecognized in the rest of the world. This is why Facebook Marketplace is something to embrace! However, the praiseworthy idea that allows people to get the most out of their online relationships gains weight only when we observe the numbers. Almost 30% of Facebook users in the US turn to social networks before buying a product online in order to research it, while 8 out of 10 of them at least once a month buy products online. When it comes to Croatia, according to a survey conducted by Perpetuum Mobile, as many as 75.4% of citizens shop online.
However, only six percent of adult Facebook users, according to GlobalWebIndex, are willing to buy via social networks. In this final step, the majority would still resort to the classic e-commerce. But Facebook Marketplace is certainly a big step forward to introducing Facebook users to the benefits of social commerce.
A new year is ahead, so let’s relax and let Facebook surprise us again with the functionality with which they will defend their throne. And of course, don’t forget to play with your digital campaigns.