Not long ago, social commerce was merely an abstract concept with a questionable future in eCommerce. Now, nearly every retailer knows that engaging online consumers is an essential part of business. Companies are eager to start the conversation with their customers and get the customers talking to each other.

However, researching the best systems, software, tools and other resources for social commerce campaigns can be exhausting and investing in the wrong place can potentially hurt a retailer. Here are a few essential technologies and some successful/highly rated systems and tools for the best possible social commerce strategy.

Blogs

Movable Type (MT) allows you to blog, manage large amounts of content, and can be quickly changed or rearranged to meet the retailer’s needs. MT does require some knowledge of HTML but can be designed to match your website completely. This system is recommended as a no-nonsense tool for businesses wanting to create a quick and professional blog site.

• Movable Type

Typepad is a popular system among businesses and made by Sixapart, the same company that created Movable Type. Unlike the other systems listed here, this platform is not free, but the monthly fee is small ($4.95-$14.95). Typepad is most famous for its feature Photo Albums, which allows retailers to display products in their blogs. For users to take full advantage of Typepad’s design templates, they will need a general understanding of HTML.

• Typepad

WordPress is easy to install and use and can be listed in Google within days of starting. This system is built for businesses with a large or fast growing online community. Also, for retailers who want a more complex system, there are several plugins and widgets available to use with this software.

• WordPress

Blogger, a blogging platform created by Google in 2003, is probably one of the most well known systems available. Blogger has sometimes been credited with bringing blogs to the masses because it doesn’t require any knowledge of HTML. This is a simple and easy system best recommended to beginners.

• Blogger

Social Networking

Facebook’s appearance on this list (as well as the next network) won’t come as a surprise to most retailers. With over 400 million users, retailers can’t ignore the potential for building a large and dedicated community. Businesses involved in Facebook can engage with consumers, make announcements, and get instant feedback from a committed fan base.

• Facebook

Twitter is considered a micro-blogging service as well as a social network and boasts over a 100 million users with 300,000 new users joining per day. On Twitter, customers can easily connect and companies can easily provide information about products and services.

• Twitter

Delicious makes bookmarking social and allows members to share their favorite sites with one another. Businesses can find loyal customers who will act as brand ambassadors. This site is a good way for retailers to connect with their customers and spread the word about products.

• Delicious

Ning is quickly growing as an alternative to other social networks that sometimes feel too overcrowded. This site allows users to create their own social network (or niche community) and create a unique space to bring customers, potential buyers, and vendors together. Retailers will have more control over the design of their network and can create the best space possible for visitors.

• Ning

Badoo, the European answer to social networking, is perfect for online retailers hoping to go global. Badoo has nearly 70 million users. This network offers many of the same features as Facebook and Myspace but reaches an entirely different audience that could potential expand business.

• Badoo

Ask and Answers

Bazzarvoice, a leader in social commerce, offers several tools to help companies engage with their customers. With Ask and Answer, customers can get the information they’re looking for directly from the company website. Also, the business can collect and use customer feedback to provide better service and decrease potential returns.

• Bazzarvoice

PowerReviews provides social commerce solutions to hundreds of companies and brands both big and small. Their popular tool AnswerBox lets consumers view popular and informative questions and answers along with the product. Potential buyers can get the information they need and the purchase process is uninterrupted. For more information you might also consider reading our recent interview on social commerce with Andy Chen of PowerReviews.

• PowerReviews

RateVoice allows customers to post reviews and comments on products and respond to other shopper’s feedback. This system promotes the sharing of opinions between consumers. The information also helps potential buyers.

• RateVoice

Social Recommendations

Loomia is a leader in recommendations and provides easy and personal solutions to businesses of any size. This system provides two types of recommendations. One gives shoppers a list of similar products while they shop, and the other tracks what the customer is looking at or buying and creates a more personalized experience.

• Loomia

Aggregate Knowledge offers “Discovery Platform” which gives retailers the ability to manage and personalize advertising through consumer data. The system gathers information from web users to help customers find products that will most interest them.

• Aggregate Knowledge

Choice Stream uses shopping data to create targeted product recommendations and advertisements and provide a unique experience for each customer. The goal of the Choice Stream system is to increase profitability and increase the number of returning customers.

• Choice Stream

Baynote is a recommendation system that prides itself on real time user behavior. They emphasize tracking referrals, questions, and the amount of time spent on pages to better understand the latest trends and patterns of consumers visiting a retailers site.

• Baynote

Social Shopping

Turnto lets consumers share ideas and opinions with each other about products and services and allows visitors to view these comments while exploring the retailer’s website. With this system, potential buyers are getting the right information from people they trust.

• Turnto

KickApps gives retailers the ability to engage consumers with user-generated content including video sharing, message boards, widgets, and much more. All of these features keep consumers engaging with and talking about the retailer’s brand.

• Kickapps

JS-Kit, also known as Echo, uses several features to gather and share what people are saying all over the web. Consumers can converse across social networks in real-time without leaving the retailer’s site. This is useful system for companies just beginning to build an online community.

• JS-Kit

Small World Labs provides several social commerce services including community building. This feature gives retailers the power to guide and moderate their online communities. Small World Labs can best help businesses managing larger online communities.

• Small World Labs

Conclusion

Preparation is essential with social commerce and having the best systems in place is the best way to get the most beneficial results. Businesses need carefully dig through information, contradicting opinions, and veiled advertisements to find what best works for them. Hopefully, if nothing else, this guide shows the complexity of preparing a social commerce strategy and encourages retailers to take thier time and find the best options.