Snap has certainly made a name for itself as a camera company, but its latest push in the marketplace is all about commerce as the company looks to give advertisers more ways to use Snapchat to drive online purchases.
Read MoreHopes 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.
Read MoreBuy buy buy. That is the message digital platforms are aiming to send to users. The buy button has made its way onto Pinterest in a big way with 60 million Buyable Pins on the platform. Twitter’s Buy Button is becoming more widely available thanks to new partnerships with Demandware, Bigcommerce and Shopify. And even Facebook is pushing its users to buy with product browsing features it hosts called Canvas and a new Shopping section that curates all products available for sale on the site from Pages, Groups and ads in News Feeds.
These platforms are making a shift, and they’re challenging both users and marketers to rethink how they use them. These social platforms aren’t just places to connect with other people and socialize. They’re places to buy and sell—the shopping malls of the Internet. You go there with friends and you buy from the brands.
Read MoreCommerce on social channels is at a major tipping point. It’s going to succeed, or it’s going to fail. And we’ll know which soon enough. Commerce on social platforms is nothing new. Some brands launched storefronts on their Facebook pages years ago. For a variety of reasons, these never took off, and in today’s environment of Facebook tabs being deemphasized, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Now, we’re entering the new era of social commerce as platforms roll out native commerce solutions. Pinterest now has Buyable Pins, enabling anyone to buy a product they see on Pinterest directly on the platform. Instagram is improving its ads by adding options for users to ‘Buy Now,’ as well as take other actions. Google is introducing a buy button in search results, while adding a click-to-shop CTA to YouTube videos. Then we have both Facebook and Twitter testing buy buttons of their own.
Social commerce is the new video. Everyone’s doing it.
Read MoreIt's shiny. It's new. It's Episode 88 of the Brave Ad World Podcast, and it's ready for your listening pleasure.
This week’s headlines: Facebook Commerce Evolves, Twitter Acquires Video Service and Tumblr Introduces Photosets.
The week’s news quick hits cover: Judge Rules That Business Can Take Over an Employee’s LinkedIn Account, Facebook Proposes New Sponsored Stories Lawsuit Settlement, Zynga Launches CityVille 2 Amid Slowing Growth and Twitter Opens Office in Korea.
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