YAY!! Instagram just announced that the social platform will be making it easier to shop directly off of posts. This is great news for fashion and beauty businesses who have millennial target audiences. And here is what it means for you.
#PC: Shopbop
Instagram is such an inspiring platform. My God, the quality of content has evolved immensely over the years. From inspirational quotes and images to communities of women helping women in their careers, to brands starting up and selling on Instagram. It is a very powerful tool when used with a proper content strategy in place. It’s not just about selling, but truly connecting with others in your niche. It’s one of the reasons why DECO DIGITAL is on Instagram. I want to connect with all you wonderfully talented folks and share what I know in an inspirational and bite-sized format that can be accessed no matter where you are.
According to Instagram, “More than 84% of smartphone users in the US browse, research or compare products via a web browser or mobile app. While browsing and discovery are easy on mobile, finding more information about the specific products you see isn’t always as simple.”
Instagram is right. A sale doesn’t happen upon immediately seeing a product you like, and clicking to purchase. Discovery happens, you learn a little bit more, and then you buy. Checkout usually happens within a day or so, so providing more information early in the sales funnel is important. And Instagram may have found a way to infuse this in their platform.
Starting next week, Instagram will soft launch with 20 US-based brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, BaubleBar, J.Crew, kate spade new york, Lulus, Macy’s, Target, Tory Burch, Warby Parker, and Shopbop to release shoppable photo tags allowing users to do the following:
Step One - It’s too easy. Each post will have a ‘tap to view’ icon at the bottom left of a photo.
Step Two - Next? You guessed it. Tap and a tag will appear on various products in the post—showcasing up to five products and their prices.
Step three - A user is intrigued, and hits one of the tags. Voila, a new detailed view of the product will open.
Step four - The user is like, “O.M.G. I NEED this,” and clicks the ‘Shop Now’ link to go directly to that product on the business’ website.
What does this mean for you all? You now have to create more compelling content than ever before if you want people to buy-in to what you're selling. Think of how a film intelligently uses product placement. That’s how you need to sell your products or services. Don’t just post a photo of a product with whitespace and say, “buy me, now!” That does not work. You have to always be telling a story. And make sure you are following and studying the participating brands in Instagram’s soft launch, so you can learn what works and doesn’t work.
Are you excited about this? What's your first impression of thew new feature? Share in the comments!