Many marketers have witnessed a recent transformation that has been accelerated by the global pandemic—a transformation that has fundamentally changed shopping habits. Not only has the way we shop for products changed, but the way we discover them has changed too. Our mindsets have shifted from “going shopping” to “always shopping,” where we discover delightful, curated experiences while scrolling through our feeds.
In fact, 65% of people surveyed who shop online said that the internet is making them more spontaneous in their shopping over time.¹
To capture the attention of people spending their time exploring this digital universe, it’s crucial to build people-first creative ideas. In fact, we have found that across Facebook's apps and services, creative quality has up to a 50% impact on estimated action rate in our auction and a 10% impact on user value.²
Facebook’s Creative Shop —our in-house creative team that partners with clients to explore the creative potential of our platform—has developed guidance based on how 3.5 billion people³ and over 200 million businesses⁴ use our tools and platforms. In Creative Shop, we’re designing creative ideas that captivate at all stages of the customer journey, from sparking interest to feeding their curiosity and rewarding their connection with you.
Spark interest with creators, authentic storytelling
It all starts with that first spark. When you’re not yet on someone’s radar, it’s important to think about how to draw them into your story.
A great place to start is by tapping into the cultures and conversations that content creators are shaping in their communities right now. Consider how you can help creators tell stories about your product in ways that are authentic to both them and their followers. Creators are often able to tell your brand or product story in ways that marketing teams may not be able to do themselves.
Rely on creators as agents of change and learn from them about ways to evolve your brand. When creators do more than simply introduce a product and talk about their personal connection to it, they give their audiences a credible reason to believe in your brand.
On your owned channels, ignite your audience’s imaginations with creative ideas that speak to a truth about your brand, a product or a cultural moment.
Feed curiosity with interactivity and conversation
When people are intrigued—but not sold and need some extra convincing—consider designing creative ideas that open a conversation. When you allow people to share their questions and preferences, you can give them personalized information that they’re looking, for to move from curious to convinced. And when you let them participate in your brand and product experience, they become co-owners of the discovery.
Live Shopping on Facebook and Instagram is a two-way exchange, allowing viewers to post comments during the broadcast and brands to reply to increase engagement. A recent example of this in action is the Live Shopping event created by the marketing team at the pet retailer Petco. The event, a first for the pet category, featured seven adoptable dogs that each walked down a runway wearing the brand’s YOULY and Reddy apparel. Throughout the show, animal lovers could learn more about the dogs, shop the collection and post comments.
Not only did the event drive strong return on ad spend (ROAS) and engagement, but Petco also announced its foundation’s contribution of $100,000 to Los Angeles Animal Services during the show. Within a few days, each featured dog had found a new home.⁵
Reward connection with opportunities
People come to social platforms not just to view content but also to participate and make their mark. To do just that, you can turn new experiences into opportunities for people who may know and love you. This can help give them memorable moments that extend and deepen their connection with you, and prompt them to share their experiences with their family and friends.
Here’s an example: When sportswear retailer Adidas planned to launch the new signature brand Harden 5 in Europe, its marketing team knew they had to rethink its previous approach in light of a global pandemic. Before the pandemic hit, the professional basketball player James Harden would visit Europe and connect with local players and creators in support of a launch. The Adidas team re-created those experiences virtually, giving local creators a chance to “host” Harden in their cities. Creators received augmented reality training and used Instagram Checkout so their communities could make purchases directly from creator’s profiles.
Given this freedom and flexibility, Creator Engagement—Adidas’ core KPI—was boosted to 7.3% over its norm of 4.8%. The Adidas team also saw a significant level of interaction with the AR effect itself, which saw 898,000 impressions, with 45,000 people using it.
Design to be discovered
Today, as more people shop online, breaking through as a brand can be a challenge. There is a growing appetite from people to make the online shopping experience more exciting, engaging and often entertaining. Progressive businesses have already begun responding to this call by offering innovative experiences like Live Shopping events, AR try-ons, gamified shopping experiences, virtual goods, business messaging across platforms and bridging the creator ecosystem with the shopping ecosystem.
As you develop your creative ideas, consider how you can spark people’s interest, feed their curiosity and reward their connection with you.
By leveraging the full suite of tools at your disposal, you can go beyond hoping to be found. You can intentionally design to be discovered.
Sources:
¹ "Discovery-Led Shopping Study” by GFK (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 1,002 people ages 18+ in the U.S. Q3 2020). Qualifying respondents made an online purchase of beauty, furniture, electronics and/or apparel in the past three months at the time of the study.
² Internal Facebook data, analysis based on 50 Lift Studies. 2019. Research findings do not guarantee future performance.
³ Monthly Active Users. Facebook Q2 2021 earnings call.
⁴ Facebook data, Q3 2020.
⁵ https://www.facebook.com/business/success/petco
