8x8 Social Connect: A Solution to Convert Social Media Interactions into Direct Sales

8x8 Social Connect aims to convert social media interactions into direct sales, enhancing customer experience and retailer conversions through personalized interactions. The solution integrates Meltwater Social Listening with the 8x8 Contact Center, allowing retailers to detect high-intent comments and engage customers in private, transaction-ready dialogues. This can improve conversion rates and safeguard brand reputation through efficient complaint resolution.

In a move to capitalize on the growing influence of social media in consumer behavior, 8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ: EGHT) has introduced 8x8 Social Connect. This innovative retail-focused solution aims to transform social media interactions into direct sales, enhancing both customer experience and retailer conversions. By integrating Meltwater Social Listening with the 8x8 Contact Center, 8x8 Social Connect enables retailers to detect high-intent comments and engage customers in private, transaction-ready dialogues.

The solution is designed to reflect the modern shopping experience, simplifying a previously convoluted process. With mobile device usage accounting for 75% of e-commerce traffic and 83% of customers expecting immediate responses from brands, 8x8 Social Connect addresses these consumer expectations head-on. The system listens to social media in real time, identifying customer intent, sentiment, and urgency. When a consumer comments on a brand's post, the system flags the opportunity and routes it directly to an agent in 8x8 Agent Workspace, complete with context and real-time guidance from 8x8 Smart Assist. This allows agents to provide exceptional service within the same interface.

From there, agents can move customers into a secure, branded one-on-one chat via Rich Communication Services (RCS), enabling the sharing of text, images, and video. This seamless interaction allows for the sharing of relevant media, guiding customers through the purchase journey, and even completing transactions using 8x8 SecurePay, all without switching platforms or devices.

Key benefits for retailers include capturing social commerce opportunities by detecting high-intent comments and responding instantly, boosting conversion rates through personalized interactions, protecting brand reputation by resolving complaints quickly, improving agent efficiency with full context and AI-powered suggestions, and driving data-driven decisions through conversation analysis.

According to Robin Gareiss, Chief Executive Officer at Metrigy, "Consumer buying trends indicate a strong acceptance of services like 8x8 Social Connect. Consumer use of social applications to interact with businesses increased by 35% from 2024 to 2025. What’s more, 56% welcome proactive outreach from businesses, and social media is the preferred channel behind traditional email, text, and phone. The most important issue to them for any business interaction is time: faster services result in 52% of consumers spending more money. So when companies can meet consumers where they are, satisfaction and spending are higher."

Hunter Middleton, Chief Product Officer at 8x8, Inc., stated, "Every missed social comment is a lost sale, and every delayed response risks your reputation. With 8x8 Social Connect, retailers can finally bridge the gap – moving customers from public comments to private, branded chats where agents can personalize interactions and close the sale instantly or solve queries privately. Customers today don’t distinguish between your social feed, your website, or your store. They expect immediate, personalized engagement no matter where they are."

8x8 Social Connect represents a significant step forward in leveraging social media for sales and customer service, offering retailers a powerful tool to enhance their customer experience and drive revenue growth.

References:
[1] https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20250812527461/retailers-turn-comments-into-sales-with-8x8-social-connect
[2] https://www.marketscreener.com/news/retailers-turn-comments-into-sales-with-8x8-social-connect-ce7c51dada8ef727