Earlier this year, Instagram gave some influencers the ability to create shoppable posts using Checkout on Instagram, a feature that allows users to buy products within the app. Snapchat gave select top-tier influencers a “shop” button, where the likes of Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian West can sell products from their respective brands.

Shoppable content—think Instagram and Pinterest—was another technology many were excited about, with 43% of respondents from the ViSenze survey agreeing. Just one-fifth cited augmented reality (AR) and even fewer (7%) said they were most excited about chatbots.

The number of social buyers in the UK will rise to 10.0 million in 2020, a 13.3% increase from 2019, according to eMarketer estimates.

Facebook’s Shoppable Page launched in Canada in March 2017, almost two years after the launch in the US market. Instagram Shopping arrived in Canada in March 2018, a year after the US launch. And Pinterest’s Promoted Pins launched in the US two years ahead of Canada (2016).

But it is growing, particularly as formats like livestream shopping and shoppable content give new life to the practice and shorten the path to purchase. According to a September 2020 survey by GlobalWebIndex, for example, 70% of US internet users who frequently watched livestreams of influencers were likely to buy products from those influencers. Metrics Will (Hopefully) Mature.

Marketer Takeaway: Shoppable videos are the next frontier for social commerce, and Facebook wants to cash in on the trend. But it’s got some competition: TikTok also debuted its first shoppable livestream in August with Ntwrk, a home shopping network geared toward Gen Z. In mid-December, Walmart also hosted a live shopping experience on the platform.

TikTok has tested shoppable livestreaming and other integrations, and Instagram plans to make Reels part of its overall commerce plans. Insider Intelligence and eMarketer research is based on the idea that multiple sources and a variety of perspectives lead to better analysis.

The news: Shopify and TikTok expanded their existing partnership—a marketing tie-up formed in October—with a pilot program that lets merchants enable more shoppable content on TikTok, per TechCrunch. Here’s how it works: Merchants with a TikTok for Business account can create dedicated shopping tabs on their profiles and sync product catalogs so customers can shop directly from the app.

According to an IAB study conducted by Advertiser Perceptions, the percentage of brands using shoppable video ads has risen from 25% in 2018 to 40% in 2020. Much of this activity resides on social media platforms currently, but where it goes next may be even more interesting. Some examples of innovations that have taken place already include:.

And video-first platforms Snapchat and TikTok are both testing shoppable content features. The rise of shoppable content on social media has laid the foundation for the next phase of product discovery: shoppable video. It’s not exactly a new concept; in fact, the popularity of the Home Shopping Network and QVC shows that there’s a consumer appetite for this.

In fact, Amazon featured shoppable video ad formats in its presentation at the 2021 Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) NewFronts. Amazon’s trove of customer data will also become even more valuable in the future, especially when compared with advertisers’ other options.

Amazon featured shoppable CTV video ads in its IAB Digital Newfronts presentation, for example. And Walmart offers activations including the ability to sponsor placements across in-store TV walls—a unique option that combines the branding possibilities of a large digital out-of-home ad with the fact that shoppers are already in-store and can be directed to purchase a product right then and there.

The platform is expanding rapidly: Last week, it announced the launch of three new shoppable shows and hosted the first virtual Sneaker Con. On the corporate side, its first CMO will join the company on July 1. How it works:.

Kroger was one of the first brands to use the Hashtag Challenge Plus ad unit, which adds a shoppable component within the app. As a retailer, how important is this function? It was a great addition, even just to see what kind of traction we would gain through having the shoppable platform.

The brand used the hashtag challenge Explore tab—which pops up when a user taps on a hashtag—to advertise a variety of shoppable products and ask users to guess Walmart’s best-selling item. (The answer: toilet paper.). NFL.

NBCUniversal continues to bet big on shoppable content. TV’s weird 2020: Viewership plummeted, but time spent increased. US adults added 1 hour of digital time in 2020.

“As more commerce-related features are added, such as shoppable posts or livestreaming commerce, the combination of short-form storytelling with the ability to convert on the spot [can be powerful],” Petersen of Weber Shandwick said. How Walmart Sourced Creator Partners for Its Shopping Livestream.

New features like livestreaming shopping and shoppable ad formats from creators and brands will also help increase the number of customer touchpoints. Here’s what marketers should do:. Focus further up the funnel. Social media’s role in generating brand awareness and demand for products isn’t going away.

The news: Pinterest rolled out a new Shopping List feature that automatically collects a user’s saved shoppable Product Pins in one place and notifies them about price changes.

From shoppable content to livestreaming commerce, brands are increasingly tapping creators to help drive their social commerce goals. As influencers prove their ability to drive sales as well as brand awareness, we expect brands to invest more money into influencer marketing.

Shoppable ads are currently in beta on the platform, but we expect that they will play a major role in future growth.

Ecommerce has been the next frontier for influencer marketing since before the pandemic, with social platforms rolling out new features to facilitate the process, like Instagram with its shoppable branded content. The increase in digital buying overall during the pandemic has accelerated the trend, though making purchases via social networks is still a relatively niche activity.