Instagram To Test Shoppable Photos With 20 U.S. Retailers

What Happened
Instagram is diving deeper into social commerce as it announces that next week it will start testing a new feature that will let users buy products by tapping on non-ad posts. Working with 20 U.S.-based retailers including Macy’s, Kate Spade, JackThreads, and Warby Parker, Instagram will allow retailers to tag their photos with pricing information, product descriptions, and hyperlinks that direct users to brand websites for purchases via an in-app browser.

What Retailers Should Do
Previously, retailers have long been able to direct Instagram users to destination sites for purchases by using its Carousel ads. This new feature, however, will enable brands to turn their organic posts into ecommerce opportunities and transform their Instagram accounts into a digital storefront. While there’s certainly room for improvement such as payment integration, it is nevertheless an important step for Instagram as it continues to make its platform more business-friendly. Retailers and brands looking to harness consumer attention and sell directly on social platforms should keep a close eye on this development.

 


Source: Instagram for Business

Header image is a promotional image courtesy of Instagram for Business

Pinterest Officially Launches “Buyable Pins” To Mobile

Read original story on: Marketing Land

Just weeks after announcing its plan to dive into social ecommerce with “Buyable Pins”, Pinterest officially launched the new feature today on iPhones and iPads, allowing iOS users in the U.S. to purchase products directly from the social network. Purchases can be made seamlessly within the Pinterest app using Apple Pay or a credit card. Pinterest says it currently has 30 million buyable pins from a various retailers, including Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom, as well as e-commerce sites powered by Demandware and Shopify stores.

IBM Reports Twitter Drove Zero Percent Of Referral Traffic On Black Friday

Brand’s skepticism for social still runs deep as IBM reported that Twitter delivered 0 percent of referral traffic on Black Friday. Attribution has been something many social media sites are just starting to work towards as they boost their ad products. Facebook, for instance, started dropping cookies to track users beyond clicks in a new program called View tags. It’s no doubt social will improve their conversion rates, but will users really want to spend time on a site that blends sales with social?