What started as a way to share some of life’s most memorable moments, has quickly turned into one of the most popular social media platforms for both consumers and companies. From swipe ups to influencers, read about the three ways Instagram is being used for eCommerce sales, particularly for small businesses.
IMAGE: PEXELS
1. Brand And Product Launches
In the past five years, buyers have entirely changed the way that they go about their decision process. Instead of merely browsing in-store or online, they now have access to not only tons of 3rd party resources (such as reviews), but they have the ability to look at a company as a whole.
In many cases, it’s a red flag when a company doesn’t have some sort of social media these days. That’s because consumers are more interested in the backstory of brands, what they stand for, and how they use their voice.
So instead of walking into a store, a purchase might go something like this: see a native ad, find the company on Instagram, get retargeted by the company, visit the website, follow them on Instagram, see a post about a sale on the product you wanted, purchase the product.
Because of this new avenue for attention, more and more brands are starting to use social media not just for product launches, but for introducing themselves at all. Instagram has also become a great place to “reintroduce yourself”, such as conflict-free diamond company, Clean Origin did.
2. Influencers
Although the term has become a bit satirical, there are plenty of popular influencers out there who are making brands (particularly Amazon) tons of money. In a lot of cases, this is due to the trust that is instilled in a consumer when they “get to know” these influencers digitally.
This has mainly happened through stories, as you can follow along throughout someone’s day, you probably are introduced to members of their family, and you see them using and modeling products and services themselves.
Once there’s a level of trust and followers see that the products/services work, they’re inclined to purchase. It’s basically like having your own personal reviewer, which then provides an easy and convenient ‘swipe up’ to view and/or purchase the product.
3. In-App Checkout
Speaking of buying products right off Instagram, in March of this year, Instagram debuted a new feature that allows brands the ability for in-app checkout. This streamlines the checkout process and alleviates the need for a new browser.
Although it might not seem like a big deal to leave the platform to buy something, every ‘extra step’ a consumer has to take to buy a product, is also an opportunity for them to drop off. This shortens the number of touchpoints it takes for someone to find the product and then make it their own.
Although there are new advancements for eCommerce on Instagram, there’s always the possibility of a social media platform losing its steam (hello, Twitter). So make sure you’re covering all your bases, follow along with the Instagram wave, but be sure to have a backup plan if one day it falls off.
If you are interested in even more social media-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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