In March Instagram
introduced a brand-new checkout to their app. Consumers can now buy their
favourite products without ever leaving the app, but what does this mean for
the Social Media platform? And how could it possibly affect garment decorators?
But there is a catch, for now anyway…
Instragram checkout is only available for several leading
global brands such as H&M, Mac, Nike and a few others. But this is seen as
the next step in the Instagram strategy, turning influencers and social
engagement into sales.
It works by simply attaching a checkout button to posts
where customers click and simply fill in their details once and they will be
saved for future purchases. This will likely be a popular tool with customers
as its an all in one checkout, where your customer information remains secure
and purchases can be completed without going to an external site.
Of course, there are limitations. This feature requires
heavy investment and is only currently available to some of the worlds leading
brands at a substantial cost.
The biggest drawback however is the customers effectively
become Instagram’s as consumers are using their checkout and not the brands
checkout. Problematic for businesses looking to manage their sales funnel and
manage their conversions the brands currently using the checkout will not be
able to identify users, their behaviours or any complex information, they will
only receive the basic order details.
While this is only at very early development stages working
with big brands, who is to say it won’t be introduced to businesses using
Instagram for their Marketing & Advertising?
The garment decoration industry is a highly visual one,
companies using Social Media to sell their print and embroidery rely on imagery
of previous work and case studies to push their business and their quality. The
checkout itself if introduced for small businesses would be an ideal fit for
the industry.
With UK businesses already spending millions of pounds on
engaging with influencers and Sponsored Online Advertising on Instagram there
will be some that will see this as a step in the right direction where you can
measure Return On Investment (ROI) can be measured in a more quantifiable way.
