Social media platforms, and more importantly using these social platforms effectively to reach out to consumers, is going to be essential for any retailers that want to survive in the future.

That’s according to Susannah Schofield, director general of the Direct Selling Association, who wrote for Essential Retail that “the future of retail is social”.

She pointed out that consumers expect increased levels of personalisation from brands, although many retailers have struggled to maintain that personal aspect of their business while selling at scale.

Building relationships is essential for retailers to reach out and develop the brand loyalty and connection they need to get ahead in today’s world of ecommerce. Influencer marketing in particular is becoming a key touchpoint.

Ms Schofield noted that many brands have embraced macro-influencers and paid partnerships, but fewer are investing in micro and nano influencers, despite this being where brands have a chance to build genuine connections with consumers.

She described micro and nano influencers as “more relatable individuals who perhaps have a ‘side hustle’ passion for beauty, fashion or homecare, but are fundamentally living similar lives to your target consumer”.

Ms Schofield added that this is where she believes the “real potential” lies for businesses that want to develop authentic relationships with their customers. She also pointed to the lessons that firms can learn from the direct selling tactics used by brands such as Avon and Tupperware in years gone by.

Not convinced? We recently shared information published by Real Leader, which suggested that the influencer marketing sector is set to grow to $15 billion by 2022, up from $8 billion in 2019. This just goes to show how much power it can have for brands, large and small.