With the sharp rise in people shopping online fuelled by lockdowns, 1000heads Strategy Director Cath Jeffries has been working with our clients to help them seize the opportunity presented by shoppable social.
2. CONTENTS
• Shopping shifts: broad shopping trends
• Key insights
• Major player updates
• Get shoppable
• Social Commerce
• Shoppable social media
• Off the shelf solutions
• Immersive experiences
• Bespoke builds
• What this could mean for you
3. Welcome to the 1000heads social commerce
and shoppable social update.
We’ve got the intel, inspiration and practical
know-how to help you level up your thinking.
Let’s go!
5. Use this area to set one or multiple images.
SHOPPING SHIFTS
WHAT’S THE TREND?
Since the inception of e-commerce, brands have
been looking for ways to minimise friction and
create the ultimate shopping experience – this is
true in both physical and virtual shops.
With the pandemic accelerating the need for a
revised customer journey, brands are having to
innovate to survive – both in social, and IRL.
Shops as brand experiences; Instagram as an e-
comm store, DTC subscription are all still
relatively recent developments that have seen
rapid adoption.
Customer journeys will no doubt continue to
evolve as the pandemic continues to develop and
there is no doubt that some habits will stick,
meaning we’ll never fully revert to what was once
normal.
SOURCE: ONS
6. FIRST THINGS FIRST
THE STATE OF SOCIAL SHOPPING RIGHT NOW
EXPERIENCES MATTER
People expect more from
brands than just ways to buy
things, so brand experience in
conjunction with commerce
is key.
IT’S ONLY JUST THE START
Ever more sophisticated ways
of delivering a shoppable
experience are slowly
emerging - from influencer
product tags to AR and
virtual immersive shopping,
plus of course, live shopping
events that use influencers
and exclusivity to sell in an
entertaining format.
SOCIAL SHOPPING IS HERE
Shoppable formats are not
new, and the big platforms are
creating new and ever more
frictionless ways to transact
from start and finish in social,
with social commerce and on
platform shops.
Brands are still in adopt and
test mode.
10. THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL IN THE PURCHASE JOURNEY HAS
INCREASED OVER TIME ACROSS DEMOGRAPHICS
Edge by Ascential Retail Insight 2019 Business Insider; Instagram
KEY INSIGHTS
83% of users discover
new products on
Instagram
.
80% of users decide
whether to buy a
product or service on
Instagram
.
50% of consumers are
more interested in a
brand when they see
ads for it on Instagram
.
11. AND, BEST OF ALL, ITS SHARE OF INTENT AS A PURCHASING CHANNEL
CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN
KEY INSIGHTS
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Chat bots
Voice assistants
Mobile wallet
physical store
Messaging app
Social media
Brand/retailers website
Shopping app
SHARE OF WORLDWIDE SHOPPERS WHO PLAN TO INCREASE
PURCHASES THROUGH SELECT DIGITAL CHANNELS OVER THE NEXT 12
MONTHS
%
SOURCE: Statista, 2019
13. SHORTENING THE FUNNEL IS AN OBVIOUS BENEFIT
Click here
to buy
this cup
Social media
discovery is
peaking as
people spend
more time on
social (the
average time per
day on social in
2020 was 2.5
hours)
27% of global
internet users
use social to find
products to
purchase (GWI,
Q4 2020)
Starting and
finishing a
journey in social
where your
audience is
captive and
engaged
minimizes
actions which
illicit drop off
14. BUT WE MUST REMEMBER THAT SOCIAL FULFILLS A GREATER ROLE IN
PEOPLE’S LIVES
KEY INSIGHTS
15. …AND THEY HAVE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS OF HOW BRANDS FIT IN IT
Source: GlobalWebIndex: Social 2020
KEY INSIGHTS
Consumers have high
expectations of brands –
high quality products are
up there, but there is so
much more.
“They are expecting brands
to be more human in the
way that they speak, and
are more willing to demand
authentic and ethical
behaviours from the brands
they purchase.”
Aaron Goldman, The Drum
16. SUCCESS LIES BEYOND THE FORMAT
“It combines content, community and commerce,
merging inspiration and transaction.”
Ana Andjelic, Forbes
18. FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM NOW FULLY INTEGRATE E-COMM
MAJOR PLAYERS
Offering a more seamless mobile first shopping experience built on Shopify, felt by many to be the most accessible e-
commerce platform in town – whether you are building a shop natively or integrating, your e-commerce site,
social commerce is here.
19. FACEBOOK PAY MAKES PAYMENTS SEAMLESS FOR CUSTOMERS
MAJOR PLAYERS
With Facebook Pay,
making payments is
simple. Open your
favourite app –
Facebook, Instagram,
Messenger or WhatsApp
– add your payment
information, and you're
good to go.
Payments can be
protected by pin, face
recognition and
fingerprint, to reassure
users that their
payments are safe.
21. GOOGLE HAS MADE ITS
AMBITIONS FOR YOUTUBE CLEAR
YouTube has started asking
creators to use YouTube
software to tag and track
products featured in their clips.
The data will then be linked to
analytics and shopping tools
The goal is to convert
YouTube’s bounty of videos
into a vast catalogue of items
that viewers can peruse, click
on and buy directly, The
company is also testing a new
integration with Shopify Inc.
for selling items through
YouTube.
The Print
22. AMAZON IS ALSO TAPPING INTO VENDOR-LED SHOPPABLE CONTENT
MAJOR PLAYERS
While Amazon is not
a social platform, Amazon Live shopping
is a new content led string to their bow
that allows brands to create shoppable
livestreams on their platform.
Amazon is particularly interesting
because of its growing primacy in search.
Google is under threat from Amazon with
surveys showing that more US digital
shoppers now start their searches on
Amazon. Nearly half (46.7%) of US
internet users started
product searches on Amazon
compared with 34.6% who went to
Google first, according to a May 2018
Adeptmind survey.
Amazon also offers its
own friction & fraud-
reducing payment
platform that can be
used to make
payments in store and
online to simplify
payments. This is also
integrated with Alexa
who can give updates
on deliveries
The Print
25. THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SHOPS
Guide to setting up shop
EXISTING E-COMM
Depending on your current
setup, you can either integrate
your existing page via the
commerce API or you can
build a shop natively. This
minimises friction, but the pay
off is data – with native shops,
Facebook collects the data and
facilitates
retargeting etc.
GLOBAL/LOCAL
At time of writing, there is
no ‘global pages’ style set
up for shops, so it is easier
to create a suite of local
shops than a global one. If
you want to set up a global
shop on your global page,
you will need a sophisticated
e-commerce set up to plug
in as re-direction comes
from the page, not
Facebook.
WHY SHOPS EXIST
Shops are part of Facebook’s
small business offering –
originally designed to
support companies who do
not have an e-commerce
site, offering a framework
built
on Shopify.
SOCIAL COMMERCE
26. PURCHASE WITHOUT LEAVING THE PLATFORM IS THE NEW NEWS
SOCIAL COMMERCE
Shopping on Instagram has been possible
for several years via ads in feed or
explore, tags, or influencers.
But in the past, if someone wanted to buy
from them, the user would have to click
over to their e-commerce site and
complete the transaction there.
Instagram introduced Instagram Shop, an
in-app destination for product discovery,
where users browse personalized
recommendations and featured brands.
In the spring of 2020, Facebook rolled out
Facebook Shop. The product allows
businesses to create digital storefronts on
the Facebook platform, and sell their
inventories directly to Facebook users.
27. SHOPS ARE FREE TO SET UP AND SIMPLE TO USE
Facebook Shops make it easy
for businesses to set up a single
online store for customers to
access on both Facebook and
Instagram. Creating a Facebook
Shop is free. Businesses can
choose the products they want
to feature from their catalogue
and then customise the look and
feel of their shop with a cover
image and accent colours that
showcase their brand. This
means any seller, no matter their
size or budget, can bring their
business online and connect
with customers wherever and
whenever.
You can
activate
existing and
new loyalty
programmes
via the shop
And just like when you’re in a
physical store and need to ask
someone for help, in Facebook
Shops you’ll be able to
message a business through
WhatsApp, Messenger or
Instagram Direct to ask
questions, get support, track
deliveries and more. And in
the future, you’ll be able to
view a business’ shop and
make purchases right within a
chat in WhatsApp, Messenger
or Instagram Direct.
SOCIAL COMMERCE
28. INSTAGRAM CHECKOUT WILL REDUCE FRICTION
Instagram says: “You
only need to enter your
name, email, billing
information and
shipping address the
first time you check out.
Once your first order is
complete, your
information will be
securely saved for
convenience the next
time you shop. You’ll
also receive notifications
about shipment and
delivery right inside
Instagram, so you can
keep track of your
purchase.” Currently
available in the US only
to people who
have a shop
SOCIAL COMMERCE
29. INTEGRATION WITH FACEBOOK COMMERCE API
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/commerce-platform
The Commerce platform enables
ecommerce solutions and retailers
to deeply integrate their
infrastructure with the tools
available to sell their products
across the Facebook Family of
apps, including Facebook Shops,
Marketplace, and Instagram
Shopping.
Powered by the Graph API, it
allows merchants to build a
merchant onboarding experience
and manage their product catalog
and order management flows.
SOCIAL COMMERCE
31. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO SELL ON SOCIAL
GET SHOPPABLE
32. A SPECTRUM OF SHOPPING OPTIONS
OFF THE SHELF
SHOPPABLE
FORMATS
IMMERSIVE BESPOKE BUILD
EXPERIENCES
SIMPLE COMPLEX
GET SHOPPABLE
33. SHOPPABLE FORMATS GRID
CHANNEL INSTAGRAM
INSTAGRAM
STORIES
IGTV FACEBOOK MESSENGER WHATSAPP TWITTER YOUTUBE TIKTOK SNAP PINTEREST
FORMATS In Feed Tags
make posts
shoppable –
up to 5
products in
image posts,
up to 20 in
carousels –
not yet
available for
video
Tags are
currently
being tested
for Reels
Instagram
Product
Guides
Stories Tags IGTV Tags Collection Ads
Collaborative
ads
In chat
purchase
enabled
N/A N/A
Currently,
Testing a
shopping
card
TrueView
for
shopping.
Product
feed linked
to video
content
In-feed
shoppable
video ads
Hashtag
challenge
plus
includes
shoppable
options via
Discover
influencer
tags
Shoppable
ads
Shoppable
AR filters
Snap Minis
Local lenses
Product pins
Catalogues
SHOP
You can also build a new shop or integrate existing product
pages into a shop
In shop chat
Carts:
Facebook
catalogue
integration
with
shopping
button
N/A
Link to
e-comm
Shop
available in
US and 5 x
European
markets
link to e-
comm
Shopify
shop
NOTES
Users can use Facebook Pay to transact seamlessly is they choose to
N/A N/A
Influencer
tags
coming
soon
N/A N/A
GET SHOPPABLE
34. A SPECTRUM OF COMMERCE OPTIONS
GETTING YOUR COMMERCE ON
OFF THE SHELF
SHOPPABLE
FORMATS
SIMPLE COMPLEX
35. THE MOST SIMPLE WAY TO MAKE CONTENT SHOPPABLE IS OWNED
TAGS IN FEED, IGTV, LIVE & STORIES
Today, Instagram users
can view products and
make purchases across
IGTV, Instagram Live and
Stories using tags.
This allows both brands
and influencers to make
shoppable content which
sees an opportunity for
creators and influencers
to monetise their
audiences.
At time of writing,
Instagram is also
currently testing adding
this capability to reels
36. INFLUENCERS WILL BE ABLE TO USE TAGS TO MONETISE THEIR
CONTENT AND DRIVE SALES FOR BRANDS
GET SHOPPABLE
39. PRODUCT GUIDES ALLOW YOU TO CURATE RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS
FROM YOUR SHOP (OR FROM OTHER PEOPLE’S SHOPS)
IMMERSIVE
40. TIKTOK IS EXPERIMENTING
WITH MORE IMMERSIVE
FORMATS
Source: TechCrunch
TikTok has announced a partnership with
ecommerce platform Shopify, indicating the
scale of its commerce ambitions in
competition with Facebook.
In addition to facilitating shoppable
product tags, akin to functionality already
available on Instagram, they are also aiming
to roll out the ability for brands to
showcase catalogues of their products on
the platform, potentially like a facebook or
Instagram shop.
The app is also said to be rolling out
“livestreamed” shopping,
where users can buy goods
with a few taps after seeing them
showcased live by TikTok stars.
In late 2019 Hashtag
Challenge Plus was
introduced including a
build on the original
Hashtag Challenge
proposition – including
a Discover section
with a “shop now’
butting linking to
products relating to
the challenge.
41. SNAP MINIS CREATE SOCIAL SHOPPING EXPERIENCES
IMMERSIVE
Minis = a suite of miniature apps developed by third
parties that will run inside Snapchat.
Evan Spiegel said Minis would help the company
extend its reach to include e-commerce, with more
social shopping experiences that let friends browse
together. “Let’s say you’re getting ready with your
friends, or your school dance is two weeks from now
— you can actually shop together
with your friends”
Watch
the video
here
42. UGC AND OWNED CONTENT IN AN INTEGRATED FEED
IMMERSIVE
StoryStream makes it
easy to curate and
publish dynamic
experiences that
combine the best mix of
earned and owned
content across every
touchpoint.
You can create live,
dynamic and
personalised content
hubs to boost SEO and
inspire customers with
engaging & shoppable
feeds of content on your
website.
43. LIVE SHOPPING/ENTERTAINMERSE IS ON THE HORIZON
It’s been stated that 2020 jumped ecommerce forward by “about 5 years”. 2021 may be the year infrastructure catches up to
deal with the extra demand. Consumers thrive on experiences, and the pandemic has forced retailers to ensure this is possible
online. Livestreams aren’t just a way to offload stock in a pinch, they’re a way to stay relevant and discoverable in a retail world
increasingly online-first. Livestream commerce will be one key way to making this possible.
GWI, Connecting the dots, 2021 report
In December, Walmart partnered with
TikTok on the first pilot test of a new
livestreamed shopping experience in
the U.S. on the video platform. That
test seemingly performed well, as
today Walmart announced it will
return to TikTok to host another
livestream shopping event, the “Spring
Shop-Along: Beauty Edition,” which
will feature TikTok creators and
influencers in an hour-long livestream.
The retailer didn’t disclose to what
extent its first TikTok live shopping
event drove sales, but noted that it
netted 7x more views than it had
anticipated and was able to grow its
TikTok follower base by 25%.
46. IN FEED AR ALLOWS YOU TO TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
BESPOKE
Michael Kors was
became the first brand
to test out AR ads in
Facebook's Newsfeed,
allowing users to
virtually try-on a pair of
sunglasses and make a
purchase as part of the
experience. This linked
off to e-comm, but
these days an on
platform experience is
possible
47. THIS TIES NATURALLY WITH SNAP’S CORE PROPOSITION
BESPOKE
Snapchat is in a unique
position: it has a largely
Gen Z and millennial
audience and sophisticated
augmented reality lenses
are endemic to the
platform, which is a natural
complement to fashion,
who has struggled to solve
the problem
of online try-on.
Snapchat partnered with
an external developer
called Wannaby to create a
new shoe click to try
before
you click to buy.
48. WEB AR FACILITATES A TANGIBLE CATWALK VIEW
BESPOKE
Video link
Using Web AR link a
product SKU on your
website to an AR
experience running in
the browser.
The AR experience uses
the devices camera to
place a model in the
viewed environment
that can be scaled up to
life size for a close-up
view of the product,
wherever you are.
49. POTENTIAL TO MAKE THE WORLD A SHOPPING MALL WITH
LOCAL LENSES
BESPOKE
Watch Video
Watch Video
Local lenses have
the potential to
allow us to do new
things that couldn’t
be done before, and
have multiple
applications from
storytelling through
to commerce.
51. KEY QUESTIONS MARKETERS MUST ASK OF
THEMSELVES TODAY…
• How are my target customers using social platforms to discover, browse and buy?
• What are my competitors and peers doing from a social commerce point of view?
• Do I have the e-comm infrastructure, tools and technology to integrate e-comm with social?
• How can I translate my brand values and experience to social commerce to maintain
distinctiveness and affinity beyond the transactional?
• What product imagery and video must I create need for social commerce?
• Which part of my marketing team should lead on social commerce?
• Is there a product line/upcoming product launch I could use to test social commerce?
• What metrics should I be using to gauge performance?
Interested in talking about social commerce opportunities for your brand?
1000heads can help. Drop us a line: info@1000heads.com