There’s no doubt that this is a fast-food, streaming, and on-demand world. Although some consumers take their time to research products and services, others are impulsive. But when either type is ready to buy, quick and easy is a purchasing preference.
Commerce media is a long step beyond static advertising. But shoppable content incorporated in commerce media opens the door to increased sales. Here’s what you should know about how it works.
What Is Commerce Media?
Advertising products and services certainly isn’t a new concept. In fact, its origins are rooted in ancient Egypt. Although what began with writing on papyrus is now digital, brands have always used ads to reach customers.
Today’s technology allows companies to collect cookies and hone their messaging. But it’s commerce media that brings advertising up close and personal at every stage of the sales funnel.
Commerce media is less about focusing solely on the brand and more about what makes the brand best for the consumer. In other words, it’s not how great the product is but how great it works for a particular customer.
Commerce media is made possible by the ability of brands to follow browsers’ cookie trails. But rising privacy concerns are turning marketers away from third-party cookies and collecting their own. Because they’re asking people for permission, privacy threats aren’t in play, and brands are free to engage.
That freedom has taken commerce media to a higher, more sophisticated, and more personal level. The ads browsers see online or pop up on their social media feeds are meaningful to them. And they’re magically related to where each person is on their journey with the subject brand.
People like personalization. The more personalized commerce media can get, the better the odds of building a long-term relationship with the buyer. And shoppable content makes sealing the deal easier.
What Makes Content Shoppable?
Shoppable content is what happens when brands drop in a link to a product within any of its digital assets. The link takes the browser directly to the product or to the online check-out. Or perhaps the shoppable content includes a scannable QR code for a quick app download.
The content could be an ad, social media post, video, native advertising, or blog. It could also be user-generated content, like a review or video on social media.
For example, a website homepage features a QR code that takes the user to the brand’s app download. No need to scroll through the app store to find the right one.
Look at brand ads that show up in a customer’s Facebook homepage. The person can click on the brand’s name and go to its Facebook page or group. But it’s that “shop now” button below that makes buying the product featured a breeze.
Shoppable content makes buying a product as easy as clicking a button or two. There’s no need to wade through a brand’s entire website looking for the item they’re interested in. Just click and wait for it to show up at the door.
What Makes Shoppable Content Good for Sales?
There are several reasons why shoppable content is a shrewd marketing strategy for brands. It begins with a brand’s ability to respect customer privacy while increasing its ability to target personalized content. That alone is driving the rising use of this strategy, but there are more factors.
Shoppable content aligns with today’s fast-food world. The immediate availability of a link or QR code provides the rapid response consumers want. Brands can take full advantage of those impulse buys, like Amazon’s “buy now” option.
There’s also the burgeoning of user-generated content on social media. More and more consumers prefer to engage with it than with brand-created content. A customer may want to buy a cordless multitool and many multitool brands put out tons of content. But that customer is more likely to click the product link for the one used by a favorite YouTuber.
The growth of social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok has given rise to UGC. And it doesn’t have to be just influencers creating it, although that industry is growing as well. Because UGC is created outside the brand bubble, it offers the company an expanded reach into new audiences.
Whether by their own shoppable content or others’, brands can pull more people to the top of their sales funnel. That’s where, no matter how they arrived there, brands can capture emails and other data. Then, they begin to engage with prospects and get permission to use their data so they can use it to personalize that journey.
You Better Shop Around
Shoppable content is a win for consumers and brands. Easy access and time savings put the buyer within a click of a purchase. And when shoppable content is part of a brand’s commerce media strategy, it unlocks great potential. Open that door and watch sales happen.
