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Why Instagram’s New Shoppable Posts Matter to Retailers
A recent change on Instagram may prove big for retailers. The decision to let its 800 million users shop via tags allows brands to tag individual products with shopping information for in-app shopping. Instagram is working with BigCommerce, a company that helps retailers build their brands on the Social Media channel, to support and enable sales.
Merchants participating in this program are among the first to have access to shopping on Instagram through iOS and Android. Bigcommerce currently serves about 50,000 small to medium-sized businesses, 2,000 mid-market sized businesses and more than 25 Fortune 1000 companies.
Since clickable links aren’t allowed in Instagram post captions, the potential value of shoppable tags is huge because it is a quicker way to bring users into an e-commerce retailer store. Previously, e-commerce sellers had to use third party services, such as Curalate’s Like2Buy, to link posts to online stores.
Now, merchants can tag products in Instagram posts and make contextual information, such as pricing and product descriptions, instantly accessible. Merchants also have access to a host of analytics on how fans interact with their products, as well as those that clicked “shop now.”
A big benefit to brands is that buy buttons allow for seamless transactions and may facilitate impulse purchases. But, a big part of what has made Social Media channels so popular is the ability for people to connect and share information. Retailers that find the right balance between building awareness, sharing content people want, and pushing for purchases will likely stand a better chance of emerging as a strong online brand in the future.
Though it remains to be seen if “buy now” buttons on Social Media channels will win consumers over, the growth of these platforms as a key component of the buying process means Instagram’s move is worth watching.
For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Dennis Kaiser
