Instagram boss reveals ambitious retail plans
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has been discussing the social media giant’s long-term retail plans.
The former Facebook executive told the FT he was aiming to “connect the dots thoughtfully” between shoppers, sellers and the app’s huge number of “influencers”. He said that by introducing functions such as “native checkout”, where shoppers can buy goods on Instagram without leaving the app, and “shopping bags”, where they can hold items in a cart, “we can unlock a lot of value from everyone involved”.
Mosseri stressed that this was a long-term plan that would require significant infrastructure. Instagram needed to work with payments providers in each country, for example. Buyer-protection features and inventory systems management integration would also need to be introduced.
“That world is hyper fragmented,” he said. “So it’s a very, very long lead time. This isn’t a one year thing, this is like a five to ten-year project.”
Sign of the times
Instagram’s plans are another sign of the changing nature of the shopping experience, according to Kees Jacobs, Vice President, Global Consumer Products and Retail Sector at Capgemini. Everything – from video content to social media – will become directly shoppable everywhere - from mirrors to VR, he believes. “If the customer is willing to allow access to the relevant data, this offers brands the opportunity to interact with customers in new and innovative ways.”
As consumer paths to purchase become more dynamic, we will also see the shopping experience extend to entirely new mediums – another example of this is the growth of digital assistants. Jacobs cites Capgemini research showing that 81% of us are already using voice assistants on our mobile phones, and another 35% are using them to buy products like clothes and groceries. Trends like this, along with Instagram’s in-app shopping feature, will give brands the opportunity to interact with customers in new and innovative ways.
“These trends need to be consumer-led, rather than technology-led, and brands will need to continue to review consumer feedback to refine their offerings. But by doing so, they can quickly develop personalised strategies for a host of different consumer needs, from the time poor, to the seekers of new technology experiences,” Jacobs concludes.
