A majority of retail brands have their own content platforms and online presence, where they post attractive pictures, informative articles, and videos about their products. Through content, they provide value and teach people how to use products, gaining trust and converting audience members into lifelong customers. Additionally, more than 25% of consumers between the ages of 16 and 64 begin their product search on social media, making content a necessity rather than an advantage.
It’s true that, as powerful as content is, it’s not the perfect marketing tool for every business. Traditional content marketing makes it difficult to instantly connect a story to a product. Therefore, traditional content does not deliver direct, instant sales, unless people can directly shop from it. Here, the value of shoppable content is evident.
Shoppable content, however, what is it? What exactly are the benefits of this to brands? What is the best way to get started? This article discusses all of these topics and more.
Exactly What Is Shoppable Content?
The term “shoppable content” refers to any online content (such as videos, images, articles, and so on) that can be directly purchased by customers, either by adding it to a cart or by going directly to a product page. The process of buying a product can be as straightforward as clicking a few buttons after seeing it on social media or watching a video online.
Thus, brands can increase traffic and conversions by providing a direct link from content to cart. Shoppable content contains product tags, which is the main difference between traditional and shoppable content. Providing customers with a convenient way to shop for products can prove to be a powerful marketing strategy.
Shoppable content Types
The following are some examples of shoppable content you can use to drive sales and convert your audience.
Shoppable videos
Video accounts for 69% of all consumer internet traffic, which indicates that online marketers are using video as a powerful storytelling tool across industries. According to 84% of consumers, watching a branded video has convinced them to buy a product. Considering how successful traditional videos are, it’s easy to see how interactive, shoppable videos could be even more effective.
A shoppable video allows consumers to click on products in the video to get more information or to purchase them. The process simplifies product research and creates an easy purchase journey for customers. Shoppable videos are already available on many video platforms, including YouTube, and you can access them by creating a merchant account.
Shoppable social media posts
Shoppable content is ideal on social media channels since customers already look for products there. The reason for cart abandonment before was that customers needed to be redirected from the platform to an e-commerce website, where they had to take additional steps. Consumers no longer have to leave popular social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest because shoppable content is available there. Therefore, shoppable posts on these channels make the store more accessible to customers instead of forcing them to come to the store.
Shoppable Instagram posts contain images of products along with a shopping bag icon or a tag. Tapping on a product here opens a window with additional information like prices and product descriptions and options to purchase the product or visit the website. This technology is especially popular among clothing brands because they can show different products in the same image. Businesses can also create shoppable posts on Pinterest. A shoppable pin can be identified by the “buy it” button. It also has pricing information, a link to the product page, and a small section with products if the pin has more than one.
Shoppable articles
By providing useful tips and advice to solve specific problems, well-written articles and blog posts can be of a lot of value to customers. The image of a product (or even a gif) is assigned a “buy now” button in a digital magazine to make it shoppable. In this way, readers can add products directly to their carts without interrupting their reading experience. The two processes of shopping and engaging with content are integrated, without interfering with one another, and people who fall in love with any product displayed in the article are able to purchase it immediately.
How brands benefit
There is no doubt that shoppable content is revolutionizing the e-commerce industry. Today’s customers expect a seamless shopping experience that allows them to move seamlessly from inspiration to purchase, which is what shoppable content offers. In this article, we will discuss some of the reasons why shoppable content is becoming more and more popular.
Shopping made easy
Traditional content marketing requires several steps between viewing a product and purchasing it. In addition to reducing steps to one or two, shoppable content makes shopping more convenient, seamless, and instantaneous. By doing so, consumers are less likely to lose interest because of a lengthy or complicated buying process.
Improved conversions
Shoppable content allows consumers to buy products instantly through content, increasing conversion rates. In addition, it simplifies content engagement, information gathering, and putting items into a cart without interrupting social media browsing. As a result, customers will be more likely to take advantage of your goods and services since a streamlined approach reduces the time between thinking about and purchasing a product.
Reach out to shoppers
In many cases, people on social media are looking for things to buy based on advertisements they see on these platforms. By making your social media posts shoppable, you can take advantage of this purchase readiness as they allow your customers to find the products they are searching for and purchase them. Additionally, customers may check out your page first before looking elsewhere for what they need if they find products they want through shoppable posts. This will gain you a loyal following of customers.
Improved data collection
Many digital marketing decisions are driven by data. You are more likely to be able to make better marketing decisions if you have more concrete, actionable data at your disposal. Although traditional content plays a major role in building and engaging communities online, it may not provide a direct measure of conversion. Providing shoppable content gives your insight into what your target audience wants and how they make purchases.
Your shoppable social media posts allow you to see which customers click through and make purchases. In this way, you can determine which products are most popular and which narratives convert the most audiences. By using this information, you can create better posts and campaigns that are more targeted.
Getting started with shoppable content
The first step to creating shoppable content is to determine which type of content will reach your target audience the most effectively. When it comes to social media marketing, especially if your products look attractive, it is never a bad idea to start there. If you don’t know where to start, you can create a business profile on the social media platform of your preference. You can also check out the official guides provided by the platform. Once shoppable content is enabled, you can start posting with product tags.
Conclusion
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of shoppable content, this may seem challenging. You could hire people or outsource the work to freelancers if you do not have members on your team dedicated to the task of creating such content. There are Fiverr freelancers who specialize in shoppable content, ranging from enabling and optimizing shoppable content to setting up your Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest shops for you. To find a freelancer who is able to provide shoppable content, visit the Fiverr “Shoppable Content” section.
