Cracking the Social Commerce Code
Hopes for social commerce have swelled and faded over time, but as of late, it’s been all fade. Are people interested in making purchases from their social feeds? All indications point to… not really. Most recently, Twitter shut down its efforts to implement a ‘buy’ button as it looks to focus its efforts on what has the best chances of helping its business. That doesn’t include ‘buy' buttons.
Not everyone has given up, however.
Instagram is expanding its shopping tags outside of testing to be available to more retailers, clothing and fashion brands who connect their Instagram accounts with their product catalogs. This will allow brands to post photos of products in various settings. From there, users will be able to tap to view product names and prices, tap a product that interests them and then be taken to a page where they can make a purchase.
Users scroll through their feeds, see a photo they like, get inspired and enticed, and then make a purchase. It’s a similar approach to what Pinterest has offered with the ability for users to tap brand posts to find information related to products.
Is Inspiration to Action Possible?
The biggest piece Instagram has going for it is it's a platform users turn to when they want to see inspirational imaging (and keep up with friends). Images are what keep users coming back. It’s essentially a social network with the soul of a magazine. That platform ethos paired with its massive and growing user base has the potential to make social commerce on Instagram possible.
Users can see products in the context of how they can be used, and that context is going to be in the best light possible. That could be enough, particularly for users who are retargeted after visiting a brand website or placing an item in a shopping cart. Users are already inspired when they look at Instagram. Converting that inspiration to action through targeted content may be possible.
Where there’s the potential for dollars, features will follow, and there’s no shortage of potential for social feeds to become places of commerce. Instagram may be the closest we’ve seen to making it work.