Redefining Retail: Social Media as the Modern Storefront
Social media platforms have perfected the art and science of serving Gen Z and Millennials the entertaining content they want to see. Thanks to AI, their recommendation engines are now zeroing in on driving sales. These AI fueled algorithms are getting increasingly better at anticipating consumers’ wants and serving up personalized product suggestions based on what users have searched and engaged with.
Users are no longer just scrolling; they’re becoming brand advocates after discovering trending products on social media. Today’s social commerce surge is largely driven by young consumers, with 40% of 18-34-year-olds making purchases directly on these platforms, according to eMarketer. These platforms have become so persuasive in driving sales that hashtags dedicated to selling products like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has over 100 billion views.
The branded content that has been successful at driving users down a purchase funnel are reviews and product education posts that feel native to the platform, not traditional branded content. Whether through influencer collaborations, playful meme recreations, or brands creatively engaging with viral trends, these entertaining content formats are making products and brands stand out and creating a strong urge to purchase:
La Mer x Pinterest
In looking to reach a new audience and increase the number of reviews of their products among this new target, La Mer turned to Pinterest to showcase the benefits of the brand’s five moisturizer textures. They created content tied to seasonal changes to educate on which La Mer product was the best fit for their needs. This campaign, which was native to the platform, drove 2x increase in product reviews on their website.
Rare Beauty x TikTok
Rare Beauty has been able to sell out products many times over, and been titled TikTok’s favorite brand, because of how they’ve been able to take the platform’s trends and create storytelling and authentic content with a unique Rare Beauty twist. When they launched their new body care line, Find Comfort, through their product education content which was able to result in 43% ROI above benchmark.
Sephora x Instagram
To drive awareness and interest in their fragrance category, Sephora leaned on Instagram to appeal to Gen Z. The brand used interactive content formats to drive more time spent with their content as well as boost associations of the retailer to fragrance. Their augmented reality videos which asked their target audience to “find their fragrance vibe based on their aura” transmitted surprise and delight moments. This not only resonated strongly with Gen Z they had an almost 4 point lift in association in comparison to their key competitors.
In Part 2, we’ll list out the top ways to drive awareness and purchase consideration through the content brands create on social media platforms.