Entering a new era with shoppable content

By Karl Knights, VP Revenue, EMEA, 4C Insights

While non-essential shops are gradually starting to re-open across the UK and the number of customers going in-store will increase, there is still a long way to go before footfall reaches pre-lockdown levels. 

Store re-opening is a gradual process and, with online shopping already on the increase pre-lockdown, it is critical that retailers don’t lose sight of the significant opportunity which remains for online sales – particularly social commerce.  

It’s clear that consumers  shifted  their  shopping  online  during lockdown with e-commerce accounting for 33.4% of all sales in the UK. Part of that drive has been the ability to instantly buy what they saw advertised online. 

Enter the marketer’s dream – shoppable ads. Interactive experiences range from online clubbing where revellers could buy drinks to home improvement shows where products onscreen were available to buy in an instant. 

With that in mind, what is clear is that brands that combine online and offline efforts  and  blur the line between shopping and entertainment, will stay ahead of the competition and drive real impact.  

The social shopping playground  

Though not a new concept, consumers have embraced the likes of shoppable pins on Pinterest, shoppable posts and Stories both from brands and influencers on Instagram and even shoppable fashion shows streamed on Facebook. 

Why? It’s simple. They simultaneously provide engaging content and a seamless and integrated purchase experience which allows customers to buy what they want straight away. 

And it’s not just on social media where shoppable ads are proving their worth. From Amazon and Google, to games, TV and digital video formats, brands are maximising success by targeting consumers where engagement is high and mixing up their approach.  

Ultimately, for brands and retailers who get the format right for shoppable ads, it’s paying dividends. More importantly, they have an opportunity to redefine the customer journey, removing the steps between awareness and purchase for immediate conversion in a few seconds.  

Shifting the creative approach through technology  

The shortened customer journey through shoppable ads means retailers need to think differently about how they tell their story and interact with customers to stand out from the crowd.  

While it may seem daunting, technology has made it easier than ever for brands to create engaging shoppable ads on social media. One such example – and a real game changer - is  Snap’s  Dynamic Product Ads (DPAs) which offer an innovative solution to engage with their user base.

The platform has removed the need to manually create engaging ads which fit Snapchat’s vertical format, but instead lets brands use templates and sync product catalogues to the platform so Snap can build the ads in real-time. 

“What is clear is that brands that combine online and offline efforts  and  blur the line between shopping and entertainment, will stay ahead of the competition and drive real impact”

In addition, DPAs adjust automatically if there are changes to availability or price reducing the need to rejig creatives, take them off-line or upsetting customers by reacting too late.  

Technological innovations mean that marketers can help improve the entire virtual shopping experience via shoppable ads. Take the beauty industry as an example. Rather than just showing pictures of a product, advertisers can help customers virtually try a product before they buy it, such as a lipstick or an eyeshadow, thanks to augmented reality. 

This same principle can also be applied for clothes and other products to radically change the customer experience and maximise conversion in a very short window. 

With all social media platforms from TikTok to Facebook, now offering and constantly refining social shoppable options to make it easier for brands to engage creatively with their audiences, there is no time like the present to incorporate shoppable ads in the marketing mix. 

Flexibility in planning and measurement is key  

Covid-19 has radically accelerated change in how marketers plan for the future – it is simply not realistic to set rigid plans over the long-term. Instead, the media planning process has veered away from annual and quarterly and towards an agile approach which can be adapted at speed, levelling up and down at will and in line with consumer needs and demands. 

This is where shoppable ads can prove their worth, not only providing a budget-friendly platform, but one which can use insights and results to adapt in real-time and on an ongoing basis.  

As the planning process has changed, so too must the way in which campaign success is measured. With a protracted journey and short window in which to make an impact, assess success, and implement learnings, marketers must think beyond reach and frequency and include the language of conversion for each campaign. 

While conversion is – and always will be – important, it’s vital that retailers capture the full scope of each campaign – from improved awareness through to the moment a sale is made.   

With nearly half of global consumers saying they don’t expect to go to physical stores for a while once lockdown lifts and 32% saying they expect their online shopping to increase, those who put social commerce front and centre will stay ahead of the competition and drive real short and long-term impact. 

With shoppable ads available across multiple platforms and providing an innovative and cost-effective way to engage  with consumers and  generate  immediate  sales, it’s too important an opportunity for marketers to miss out on.