The human element in social media drives consumers to make purchases
Stephanie Crets|
CakeSafe—a retailer that sells protective barriers for cake transportation, among other cake-related items—recently began taking advantage of Instagram’s Reels feature. Reels is similar to social media video platform TikTok, in which users record videos and add captions and music. The retailer posted a Reel in early February of a customer using one of its products. That one Reel increased the sales of that product by 280% when consumers headed to CakeSafe.com to purchase that product.
“Instagram is our best sales generator,” says Rachel Moreschi, chief marketing officer at the retailer.
Analysis of web design, online shopping innovations, and consumer perception. Includes over 20 charts, data on the web features and functions used by Top 1000 retailers, and trends in customer service, AI, mobile and search.
While CakeSafe uses Instagram to build brand awareness and attract shoppers to come to its website, luxury bag retailer Julia Rose Boston uses Instagram to conduct sales. The merchant uses Instagram Stories and Reels to show off the details of each of its high-end pieces, such as an $8,000 Hermes Birkin bag, as well as show a person holding or wearing the products.
“Instagram Stories create a sense of urgency that doesn’t exist when you don’t have a complete website and a way to show products that isn’t captured in a static photo,” says founder Julia Carnie.
Social media platform Instagram began as a place for consumers to connect with friends, share food pictures and their outfits of the day. Instagram added a shopping element in March 2017, enabling shoppers to buy a merchant’s product directly from Instagram rather than follow a link to purchase on an ecommerce site.
48% of retailers say social media is very important to improving their conversion rate, according to a Digital Commerce 360/Bizrate Insights survey of 103 retailers conducted in February 2021. Social media trails only email marketing at 51% and ties branding as very important to retailers in increasing conversion.
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