Developments in the world of social media have led to countless revolutions in the way that content is generated, shared, and ultimately monetized. With that, marketers are testing what works best for them when it comes to finding ways to appeal to an audience that’s ready to buy. One of the most effective ways of showcasing and selling a product within a social media or blog post is to create an engaging shoppable experience within the content itself.
Many consider shoppable content to be a vital pillar to the future of eCommerce and these types of assets should absolutely be a part of a brand’s marketing arsenal if they’re selling online. It’s one of those strategies that’s easy to learn and difficult to master, so researching how to create the perfect shoppable experience is imperative to success.
What Does it Mean to Create Shoppable Content?
Shoppable content takes many forms depending on the platform you’re utilizing, but overall can be considered as any sort of digital content that you can click on to make a purchase. Just about any asset type can be altered with a shoppable version, allowing consumers to learn about a product and purchase it on the spot.
What you’re creating is an overall experience for the end consumer and seamlessly tying the shoppable piece into the original content in a way that makes sense can generate incredible results when done correctly.
What Are the Benefits of Shoppable Media?
Converting content into a shoppable experience touches on several of the core parts of the typical consumer buying behavior process. By thinking about the steps that consumers are taking in their path to purchase, we can see the direct correlation between those steps and what makes shoppable media so beneficial:
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Fewer Steps on the Consumer Journey
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- As consumers are in stages 2 and 3 in the buying process, shoppable content streamlines the extra steps required between the information gathering and the end purchase. This gives the consumer less opportunity to consider alternatives, or to not buy altogether.
- As consumers are in stages 2 and 3 in the buying process, shoppable content streamlines the extra steps required between the information gathering and the end purchase. This gives the consumer less opportunity to consider alternatives, or to not buy altogether.
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Target Consumers in an Impulse Buying State While They Browse
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- Clothing, food, toys, and others are some of the most common impulse buys, and they’re also perfect candidates for shoppable media content. Convenience is king and the ability to go from “Oh I want that!” directly to a purchase window with buying options is invaluable.
- Clothing, food, toys, and others are some of the most common impulse buys, and they’re also perfect candidates for shoppable media content. Convenience is king and the ability to go from “Oh I want that!” directly to a purchase window with buying options is invaluable.
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Get Shopper Preference Data and Other In-depth Marketing Insights
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- Since you can tie in several product types and retailer options into a shoppable media post, you can gauge the qualitative effects of each type of asset that you’re utilizing.
- Does this content inspire shoppers to buy a certain type, color, flavor, etc. of my product?
- Does this content inspire shoppers to buy from a certain online retailer?
- Which asset type is inspiring the highest overall return?
- Since you can tie in several product types and retailer options into a shoppable media post, you can gauge the qualitative effects of each type of asset that you’re utilizing.
Tips for Making the Perfect Shoppable Experience
Shoppable content is all about convenience and giving a consumer the options and freedom to buy how they want to buy. All in all, you’re looking to create an engaging and interactive shopping experience through the several tools that are unlocked when making these types of assets.
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Multiple Retailer Options
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- If your product is one of the many that is sold on multiple online retailers, you can implement the option to choose into your shoppable asset.
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Using Influencers to Create Assets
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- Influencer content has been proven to perform better than branded assets on social, so utilizing the expertise of the influencers that make their living by connecting with audiences on specific platforms is a worthwhile strategy.
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Multiple Product Options
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- Promoting a specific product that a blogger used in a recipe or a piece of the full outfit of a fashion Instagram influencer? You can include the entire recipe or create a ‘Shop my look’ type of asset that adds an extra level of convenience for the consumer.
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A/B Test with Several Assets and Formats
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- With any type of asset or creative, finding what works best can take some testing. Using tools that can scale up shoppable content generation and track what’s working is highly recommended during this stage.
If you’re interested in how these shoppable experiences are created or how you can utilize influencers to expand the impact of your content, learn more by chatting with our team of experts.