Have you seen how Instagram allows you to purchase featured items on posts directly from the app? If yes, then you already know what shoppable content looks like! It makes life easier, doesn’t it?
Virtually all existing retail brands have their online platform and content platform, where engaging images, informative articles, and videos about their products are published.
They demonstrate how to use different products and add value through content, build trust and turn their audience into repeat customers.
However, despite how impactful content can be, it is not ideal on its own. Traditional content marketing makes it difficult to associate the story with the product. In other words, traditional content does not offer direct, instant sales, unless people can buy directly from them.
This is where the new ‘shoppable content’ trend shows its enormous value. This is why it is important to add this to your digital marketing strategy. Make sure you have a good Internet Service Provider (ISP) that will allow you to manage your brand’s online platforms effectively.
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While the idea of shoppable content was primarily linked to Instagram, the concept has spread all over social media now. So before we get into how you can apply it to your brand, let us tell you a bit about it.
What Is It?
Shoppable content encompasses any content online (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.) that allows customers to purchase a product directly, either by adding it to their shopping cart or by going to a product page where they immediately buy the product.
This means that there are only one or two clicks between viewing a product on social media or watching an online video and buying it.
Therefore, by providing a direct link from content to the cart, brands can get more traffic and increase conversions. The main dissimilarity between shoppable and traditional content is that the latter contains product tags.
Because it provides customers with an easy way to buy products, it can be an effective strategy for your company.
How To Implement Shoppable Content?
We have listed some of how you can use shoppable content to increase conversion and sales.
1. Posts
Social media channels provide an ideal platform for buyable content as customers are already looking for products on such platforms. In the past, cart abandonment was increasingly common as customers had to be redirected from the platform to an e-commerce site, where they had to take further steps to complete their purchase.
Shoppable posts on Instagram contain pictures of the products with a tag or icon. Clicking on the product will lead you to the designated window where you can buy the product or visit its website. This is particularly popular with clothing brands as they can have one image show multiple products.
2. Videos
Shopping videos allow consumers to click on products in the video to learn more or buy the product. This simplifies the product research process and provides a hassle-free path for customers from call to action, to buying.
Many video platforms such as YouTube have already enabled this feature, and you can access it by creating a seller account for your platform of choice and exploring the options available.
3. Articles
Well-articulated blogs and articles can be very helpful for clients as they provide helpful tips and tricks to solve specific problems they may be facing. To make a blog post or digital magazine article a bargain, every product image is linked to a Buy Now button.
This enables the viewer to shift the product to the cart without disrupting their reading. This combines the two processes of buying and engaging in content without interfering with each other and allows people to buy the article immediately.
Benefits of Shoppable Content
While it may seem as if shoppable content is only beneficial for customers but the good news is that it is beneficial for all parties involved. Here is how:
1. Reduced steps for conversion
As with other strategies, those for digital marketing also have the end goal of increasing conversions. For that, you want to induce brand awareness to encourage purchases. You establish thought leadership and advertise your offerings to entice people to buy the product.
Purchasable posts make it easier for businesses to get those conversions, shortening the buying process. Instead of leaving Instagram (or Facebook) to search for your brand or buy your products, consumers simply click on the tag.
This efficient approach shortens the time it takes between thinking about a product and acting on that impulse. The less time that can be distracted, the more likely consumers are to decide to buy what they see.
2. Data gathering
Data is the driving force behind many digital marketing choices. The more data your company has, the more effective marketing decisions you can make. Shoppable content is beneficial for businesses because they provide another source of information about who these companies are targeting.
You can then use the collected data to create an even better social media post or to improve other digital marketing strategies.
3. Reaches potential buyers
Your business can capitalize on this social media-shopping trend by creating accessible posts. When you create these posts, you are giving your consumers a place to find and buy the products and services they want.
When customers find what they are looking for in these posts they may want to check your social media first before looking elsewhere.
Summary
The trend of shoppable content can be an essential part of your digital marketing campaign. They lessen the number of steps consumers must take to complete a conversion.
They also make use of stories to sell products or services. You reach people who are ready to buy and this allows you to collect more useful data.
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