National + Weekender | October 10, 2017

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.

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About Dennis Kaiser

Dennis Kaiser is Vice President of Content and Public Relations for Connect Commercial Real Estate. Dennis is a communications leader with more than 30 years of experience including as a journalist and in corporate and agency marketing communications roles. He is responsible for Connect’s client content operations and is involved in a range of initiatives ranging from content strategy, message development, copywriting, media relations, social media and content marketing services. In his most recent corporate communications roles, he led a regional public relations effort across Southern California for CBRE, played a key marketing role on JLL’s national retail team, and was responsible for directing the global public relations effort at ValleyCrest, the nation’s largest commercial landscape services company. In addition to his vast commercial real estate experience, Dennis has worked on communications and launch strategies for a number of residential projects such as Disney’s Celebration in Florida, Ritter Ranch in Palmdale California (7,200 homes, 22,000 acres), WaterColor in Florida and PremierGarage in Phoenix. Dennis’s agency background included firms such as Idea Hall and Macy + Associates. He has earned an outstanding reputation with organization leaders as a trusted advisor, strategic program implementer, consensus builder and exceptional collaborator. Dennis has developed and managed national communications programs for Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, both public and private. He’s successfully worked with journalists across the globe representing clients involved in major-breaking news stories, product launches, media tours, and company news announcements. Dennis has been involved in a host of charitable and community organizations including the American Cancer Society, Easter Seals, BoyScouts, Chrysalis Foundation, Freedom For Life, HOLA, L.A.’s BEST, Reach Out and Read, Super Bowl Host Committee, and Thunderbirds Charities.