Insights

It’s no secret that today’s society is addicted to social media. With the average person spending nearly two hours per day on social channels, there’s an immense opportunity for retailers to increase sales and brand awareness. Below is a list of 10 social media marketing best practices to consider and implement as you continue to invest in additional ad spend and resources for your social strategy.

1. Keep the human element alive.

Let’s face it - we all crave human interaction. When you have a problem, question, or even just a comment, you want to feel heard. Yes, chatbots can be useful in certain circumstances, but only 9% of consumers look positively on chatbots in the shopping experience. Customers want to communicate with a real person. They want to know the retailers they’re loyal to genuinely care about their satisfaction, and if they’re frustrated, empathize.

If you’re anything like me, you don’t have $2,000 to drop on a new outfit. However, there are many well-made duplicates at a fraction of the price…it’s just a matter of finding them. In the past, I’d see someone on my Instagram feed wearing a beautiful dress and wonder where they purchased it. In most cases, if the person isn’t a fashion or affiliate blogger, the brand can be tough to identify. That is, until now.

With most online shopping beginning with search, it’s no wonder why retailers like Asos, Express, Urban Outfitters and Neiman Marcus have implemented visual image search in-app.

Visual search removes roadblocks and decreases friction in the shopping experience, taking shoppers directly from inspiration to satisfaction. Because taking a photo of a product is the #1 most popular in-store mobile shopping activity, more and more retailers are implementing visual search as a way to engage customers and drive sales.

Here are a few examples of retailers that have implemented the technology well. 

Screenshop  

Screenshop’s app leverages artificial intelligence to identify shoppable items in a user’s screenshots. Once fashion-related photos are detected, the app will generate an assortment of clothing, footwear or accessory options. In addition to finding the same outfit, their custom catalogue will also offer up similar styles by many different brands at a wide range of price points.

At NRF's 2018 Big Show, technology like facial recognition and ‘Scan & Go’ shopping capabilities were at the forefront of the retail conversation. But consumer perception of this tech is mixed. Nearly half (49%) of shoppers do not think facial recognition will improve their shopping experience, but, conversely, nearly half (48%) of shoppers agree that ‘Scan & Go’ will make shopping easier.

GPShopper's latest consumer research uncovered not only consumer receptiveness of retail personalization trends, but also how they want these tactics employed during their shopping experiences.

Although consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the technology integrated into their shopping experiences, they are not embracing all of it. When discussing facial recognition, 45 percent of shoppers said they would be concerned about their privacy should it be used. Consumers are more positive toward ‘Scan & Go’ technology – nearly half (44%) would rather use ‘Scan & Go’ than wait in a check-out line. 

As I sit down to write this post, Coachella has just come to a close. It’s safe to say that one weekend at Coachella can easily set you back $2-$3k, maybe even more. Yet rising ticket prices and area lodging averaging ~140% higher than any other peak time haven’t curbed attendance at all. In fact, Goldenvoice, the group that operates Coachella, added forty acres to this year’s festival site, allowing attendance to skyrocket from 99,000 to 125,000.

The bottom line is that experience and event spending habits that were once reserved for the wealthy have become commonplace amongst Millennials and Gen Zer’s alike. Plus, with continuing consolidation in retail, it’s not a big stretch to infer that discretionary income once used for aspirational tangible goods has shifted to aspirational experiences.

Some savvy retailers have found new success by aligning with these spending habits and joining forces with large-scale events and festivals, keeping them at the forefront of retail innovation.

Post download, one of the biggest challenges retailers face is keeping their app users engaged and retained. 

Download GPShopper's guide to see examples of best practices for app engagement as implemented by Saks Fifth Avenue, ASOS, Macy's, Miss Selfridge, Tradesy, H&M, Sephora, Bloomingdale's, Rent the Runway, Home Depot, Shopbop and many more, including:

Drive Retention Through Early Access

By offering your customers early access to special products or app-only content, it gives them a reason to come back and purchase directly through the app.