Do you shop via social media? In a recent Avionos survey, 55 percent of respondents said they made a purchase directly from social media within the past year. Even if you weren’t part of that crowd, you are likely closer to it than ever. Earlier this month, Instagram and Facebook both introduced features that make it easier than ever to shop on their platforms.
Instagram added shoppable content to its Stories feature for select brands, so users can now include a shopping bag icon that a user can tap to learn more, or click a link to purchase the item. Because Stories has around 300 million users, this could prove to be a popular feature for both users and brands.
According to Instagram, 60 percent of people said they discover new products on Instagram. The platform also touts that one-third of the most-viewed Stories are from businesses, which makes Stories integral to product discovery.
Similarly, Facebook added functionality for shoppers who purchased a product advertised to them on Facebook to provide feedback on their e-commerce retail experience.
With influencer marketing showing no signs of slowing down, and influencers infusing their feeds and stories with this more integrated form of advertising, it’s no wonder that social media platforms are seeking more seamless ways of directly driving conversions.
Investor Mary Meeker recently shared her 2018 Internet trends report. In it, she mentions that 55 percent of people buy a product after discovering it via social media, but only 11 percent of those purchases occur immediately (insights that align with our own research).
As these shoppable features become more sophisticated and secure, and as social media platforms gather additional insights from consumers, it will be interesting to see if this more turnkey way of making purchases will result in more immediate purchase behavior.
Tell us: do you shop via social media?
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