Category: Education

Want to dive deeper into community-based gamer marketing? Connect with a full-service agency to help you launch your gamer marketing campaign.

Pop quiz: How familiar are you with Discord, Twitch, and Fortnite? If your answer is “not very,” you’re probably not in a strong position to market to the gaming community.

That’s a significant loss, as gaming has long transcended its geek subculture roots. Roughly 67% of Americans (211 million people) play video games. Nearly half of those people play video games at least three hours each week.

Consumer spending on video games reached $19.5 billion in the first half of 2018 — a 40% year-over-year increase, which is exceptional for a mature market.

Numbers such as these provide a window into the massive size of the gaming market. Video games, aided by the ubiquity of smartphones, have become an ingrained part of our culture.

As such, it’s now a critical —and under-leveraged — segment for marketers. To help you better understand how to market to gamers, let’s take a closer look at some critical “dos” and don’ts” involved with the process.

Why Twitch-ing is Essential

Live streaming platforms (like the aforementioned Twitch) have been critical to the growth of gaming. These platforms allow gamers to broadcast their own in-game exploits to a global audience, earning feedback — and often donations — in the process. It’s a business model that older demographics don’t always immediately grasp (people really pay to watch other people play video games?)

The answer is yes, and in massive numbers. Twitch’s growth has been nothing short of explosive (Amazon paid nearly $1 billion for the platform, which now has 15 million daily users).

Twitch and other live streaming platforms have  been a vehicle for another market experiencing extraordinary growth: Esports. For the uninitiated, Esports are the gaming equivalent of professional sports leagues. Pro gamers compete in leagues based on popular titles (such as Overwatch and NBA2K) and earn significant sums of prize money and endorsements as a result.

Leveraging Twitch as a marketing channel is certainly a “do” if you’re seeking to engage gamers. The easiest way is through influencer marketing — a practice that’s extremely popular within live streaming circles. Brands seeking to appeal to gamers through influencer marketing will have no shortage of possibilities on Twitch, as influencer monetization is one of the primary goals of many of the platform’s 3 million monthly broadcasters.

Brands can partner with influencers and run pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll ads. Commercials can also be run periodically. The roster of brands pursuing influencer marketing on Twitch is impressive: KFC, Kellogg’s, and Duracell are just a few.

One important Twitch marketing “don’t”: Failing to do your research. Twitch broadcasters can be pretty freewheeling in terms of content, so it’s important for brands to vet each potential partner by reviewing archived content.

The Power of Community-based Gamer Marketing

Discord is a voice and text app that targets the gaming community. If you want to find where hard-core gamers spend their time online, look no further.

Because Discord allows you to create communities, it can be an indispensable tool for brands that are seeking to engage with gamers. You can easily create groups, assign admins and moderators, and invite new members.

Once a new group is up and running, brands can share information about upcoming events, offer special promotions and simply engage with the community. Access to gamers isn’t the only benefit of the platform; its native features make the platform more conducive to community building, and a better option for reaching the most dedicated gamers, than more limited platforms such as Twitter or Instagram.

When launching a new Discord channel, it’s important to garner as much attention as possible. Prizes or special offerings for the first 100, 1,000 or 10,000 members is a smart way to encourage participation — and a gamer marketing “do.”

Once a channel is operational, core marketing principles need to apply. Brands need to ensure Discord channels are engaging, active, and conversant with the natural environment.

Gamers have an uncanny ability to sniff out brands that make ham-handed attempts at relevance or connection. Engaging gamers without doing your homework first is a definite marketing “don’t.” Brands that want to be successful with the most hard core gamers need to make sure that their marketing efforts are sufficiently steeped in the culture.

Mobile Games and Cultural Sensations

When creating a marketing strategy for gamers, it’s also important to remember that the world’s most popular gaming platform isn’t a Nintendo Switch or Playstation 4 — it’s the smartphone in your pocket.

Ignoring mobile gamers is a serious “don’t,” as they comprise an enormous chunk of all gaming activity. Mobile apps such as Candy Crush, Pokemon Go, Words With Friends, etc. are used daily by a staggering 78% of smartphone users.

One final do: Leveraging the brand power of the world’s most popular games. Fortnite, for example, is a global phenomenon, generating more than $300 million each month for its publisher. Fortnite has also generated countless amounts of fan-generated content: Fail videos, viral dance challenges, etc.

Brands are working overtime to integrate their marketing and advertising efforts with cultural juggernauts like Fortnite — making such practices a certifiable “do” for anyone seeking to reach gamers.

The Takeaway

Given the size and growth of the space, gamer marketing has enormous potential. Yet many small to mid-sized businesses have failed to pursue this strategy because they lack subject expertise and a deep understanding of gaming culture.

That’s where Bigeye enters the picture. We help brands target the gaming market by devising engaging marketing strategies that gamers find relevant — and businesses find profitable. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today for more information.

It’s time to prioritize: Pull out of the marketing arms race and jump into battle with buyer loyalty through multi-channel marketing services.

Are you marketing to consumers — or to your fellow marketers? It might seem like an obvious question, at least superficially. Yet if you look deeper into how your multi-channel marketing services are designed and executed, and how your agency chooses to operate, you might find that the answer isn’t as cut-and-dried as you think.

Avoiding marketing groupthink

The marketing industry tends to be highly trend-driven. If an agency implements a new solution or develops a fresh approach, its competitors often feel the need to follow this lead. The idea of being left behind, or being perceived as behind the knowledge curve, is enough to compel them into action.

Yet as a recent column in AdWeek points out, this behavior often becomes a self-reinforcing cycle, with agencies chasing fads and trends in an ever-escalating arms race. They become so concerned about the competition that they lose sight of who truly matters: buyers.

As AdWeek points out, the birth of the Internet and the proliferation of multi-channel marketing services created incredible new opportunities for marketers. Consumers, for the first time, could research a vast array of projects on a mass scale, creating a new buyer category: inbound prospects.

CRM platforms were soon developed, ultimately becoming an essential operational cornerstone. Now, consumers could be categorized, tracked and guided down the sales funnel with precision, and data could be gathered to measure the efficacy of various techniques and tactics.

While the emergence of this new technology offered wonderful opportunities, it also had unintended side effects. Communication between brands and buyers became mediated by multi-channel marketing technology.

In many cases, this went too far. Marketers attempted to over-digitize the buyer’s journey instead of integrating human interaction within technology. Marketers also began to place too much faith in metrics that offered too little visibility into what consumers were really feeling, and what their true intentions were.

Agencies began relying too heavily on these metrics to measure performance, leading to an epidemic of vanity metrics that say more about an agency’s need for self-justification rather than its true real-world impact.

Instead of personalized and targeted marketing infused with human interactions, buyers were given a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t serve their interests.

Finding a better path

So how do marketers opt out of the arms race and refocus on what really matters? Step one would be to join forces with a multi-channel marketing services agency. From there, AdWeek suggests de-emphasizing industry data benchmarks in favor of deeper intelligence gathering on buyers. The idea is simple: Develop more actionable insight into the people who are buying your products and services today, and use this information to refine your approach.

Do the following. It’s important.

1.Realize that the sales funnel is not a perfect concept. If your approach is too inflexible, it’s likely suboptimal. Don’t treat buyers like they are all the same.

2. Ensure you’re marketing to buyers, not other marketers. Having another marketing agency think your idea is clever will be small consolation if it doesn’t resonate with buyers.

3. Don’t allow automation to quash authenticity. Yes, automation has many benefits. Yet it shouldn’t be allowed to de-emphasize human interactions.

4. Listen to what buyers are asking for and offer them customized solutions.

The takeaway

At BIGEYE, we’re firm believers in the power of technology. Yet we’ll never follow empty trends or allow software to replace the human element. In order to provide truly great marketing, the digital and the personal need to be integrated through well strategized multi-channel marketing services.

If you’d like to hear more, please visit our website for more information.

Whether it’s through micro or macro-conversions, be sure you’re business is continuously increasing it’s ROI by working with a video production company.

It’s natural for businesses to focus on things like product purchases. Yet these “big conversions” only paint part of the overall picture. If you’re looking to better understand your audience, it’s also important to focus on micro-conversions — and a top digital marketing agency or video production company can play a critical role in this process.
Let’s take a closer look at how macro and micro conversions differ, and how brands can optimize the latter to improve the former.

Macro and micro-conversions explained

Macro conversions (such as sales and signups) are generally supported by a series of smaller actions and milestones. These complementary actions are called micro conversions, and often play an equally important part of the overall process.

Some of the most common forms of micro-conversions include:

• Video views
• Comments left on blogs, webpages etc.
• Adding products to a cart
• Page views
• Shared social media content

These micro-conversions are key benchmarks in the overall conversion process as they provide a window into consumer interactions within your marketing framework. If consumers have positive micro events, they are more likely to continue along the path toward a macro conversion. A negative interaction, however, can derail the process completely.

Optimizing micro-conversions

The importance of micro-conversions means that it is critical for brands to pursue optimization. Consumer pain points should be addressed and user experience should be prioritized in order to help ensure a macro conversion.

Some of the micro-conversion optimization techniques that brands should consider pursuing include:

Simple to use Web forms that are intuitive and allow users to save progress

Nothing irks consumers more than having to fill out forms multiple times, so it’s essential to give them the ability to return to a form at their convenience.

E-books, white papers, and other downloadable lead magnets

While these require significant resources to create, they can be an invaluable tool for generating new business.

Customer reviews

Today’s consumers immediately turn to reviews generated by their peers to ascertain the quality of a product or service. Strong reviews offer a powerful nudge toward a macro conversion.

Short explainer videos

Nothing converts like video – 52% of marketers say it has the best ROI of any medium. Short, well-executed videos do a great job of explaining your product or service. Additionally, research shows that online shoppers are twice as likely to buy if they watch a product video. Work with a video production company to focus on live streaming, video reviews, and influencer’s videos to help you increase conversions.

The value of tracking

Most micro-conversions don’t lead to a macro-conversion (the average macro conversion rate is around 4%). Yet sales and other macro events aren’t alone in providing value. Someone reading a blog post may not go on to make an immediate purchase, but that micro event raises brand awareness.

Micro-conversions also offer revealing, actionable data that brands can use to optimize their processes. One of the easiest ways to evaluate your micro conversions is through Google Analytics, which offers some fairly sophisticated tracking tools. Event tracking codes are available for virtually every popular micro-conversion tactic.

The takeaway

Brands that make an effort to leverage and track micro-conversions will earn a significant competitive edge, as they gain deeper insight into the buyer’s journey and can optimize their overall conversion framework.

Our experts can assist businesses with understanding and exploiting the power of micro-conversions. If you need assistance from a video production company with content creation or any other strategy, we urge you to contact us today.

Keeping up with the generational changes can be time-consuming and confusing, work with a media planning agency to fine tune all the details for you.

If you’re seeking more conversions (and who isn’t?), there’s good news: By partnering with a top media planning agency, you can develop a new, personalization-based strategy that targets perhaps the most important demographic in advertising and marketing today: Generation Z.

Generation Z: Powerful enough to challenge the digital ad duopoly

Generation Z (roughly defined as anyone born between 1995 and 2015) are now the largest age cohort in the U.S., according to Bloomberg. Yet sheer size isn’t the only reason why this generation should be top of mind for marketers; Gen Z, like Millennials before them, has come of age. They’re amassing buying power, entering the work force in vast numbers, and driving the consumer economy.

Brands and agencies that devoted extraordinary resources to unmasking the secrets to Millennial marketing are casting an evaluating eye on Gen Z. Those who best understand younger consumers will reap sizeable benefits — and those who don’t may get left behind.

Even the most powerful entities have plenty of skin in this game. Google and Facebook, the seemingly omnipotent Digital Ad Duopoly, are facing serious regulatory scrutiny over their privacy and data management practices.

The real existential risk to this duopoly doesn’t come from a legislator’s pen, however. Instead, it’s the needs, wants, desires and habits of Gen Z that pose the most pressing challenge.

Facebook has been hemorrhaging younger users for years, and is largely irrelevant to Gen Z, though its other properties (Instagram and WhatsApp) remain very popular with younger users. YouTube, also, remains a popular Gen Z platform.

Brands need to be acutely aware that consumer loyalty is more fickle than ever. The process of discovering an app, falling in love with it, and then dropping it for something else has accelerated. Gen Z, in particular, is fluid in their app choices. This makes even the most established platforms vulnerable.

Yet these very same characteristics also present an opportunity for brands savvy enough to recognize them. By gaining a deeper understanding of Gen Z consumers, brands can anticipate what they want, provide them with the kind of advertising and marketing messages that resonate, and ultimately increase sales.

Targeting generation Z

So now that we understand why Gen Z is so critical to effective advertising and marketing, let’s discuss a few things brands need to know when creating personalized campaigns with media planning agencies.

Gen Z is driven by values

More than 60% of Gen Z say they are “socially conscious.” These values drive their decisions in terms of purchasing and patronage: More than half of Gen Z members say they are more likely to support a brand that signals support for charitable, environmental or social causes.

Gen Z strongly dislikes conventional online ads 

While older generations may tolerate irrelevant digital ads that interrupt their viewing or reading experience, younger people are far less forgiving — and far more likely to use ad-suppressing technological tools, such as the Brave web browser. In order to succeed, brands will need to accommodate these preferences by delivering personalized, targeted and highly relevant ads through channels that young people prefer (Snapchat and Instagram Stories, for example).

Half-baked attempts at connection will backfire

An example: Google created a guide to Gen Z called “It’s Lit” — and was greeted with widespread derision as a result. Younger consumers are marketing savvy and will instantly spot (and ridicule) a ham-handed attempt at being culturally relevant. Brands should instead take the time to study the online behavior of Gen Z through the lens of the platforms they use.

The takeaway

BIGEYE believes a great media planning agency can play a critical role in helping businesses connect with younger consumers. If you’d like to learn more about what we can do for your next marketing campaign, please contact us today.

BIGEYE announces the promotion of LeAnne Ball to the position of Agency Marketing Specialist. Previously the Agency Coordinator, the new role will have Ball developing and implementing marketing strategies, creating integrated plans to increase overall brand awareness, determining social media campaigns, and managing brand reputation through daily social listening and monitoring.

“LeAnne has been a lead problem solver since she started at the agency,” said BIGEYE CEO and Principal Justin Ramb. “We couldn’t be more excited to see her progress and thrive in her new role. I know that she will rise to the challenge, keeping us connected while finding engaging ways to interact with our audience.”

According to Ramb, Ball has been with the agency for almost 2 years, but prior to joining BIGEYE, she developed marketing strategies for Florida Hospital in their Children’s and Women’s departments.

“My work at BIGEYE has been very unique,” said new Agency Marketing Specialist LeAnne Ball. “I’ve learned a tremendous amount coordinating internal events, collaborating on our social media content creation, and aiding the new business team as Agency Coordinator and look forward to applying all of it to help this agency grow.”

About BIGEYE

Located in Orlando, Florida, BIGEYE is a fully integrated, multi-platform advertising agency that curates deeply compelling campaigns and brand experiences alongside their clients. The BIGEYE team of designers, copywriters, artists, programmers, and account managers works closely with clients to better understand the needs of their consumers and deliver measurable results.

Mobile technology sometimes gets a bad rap from parents, who are (perhaps rightfully) concerned about over-exposure to screen time. Yet thanks to a new app developed by a Florida state law enforcement agency, mobile technology is helping to protect children from predators. It’s one more example of how smart app development — often facilitated by a top Florida advertising agency — can help organizations improve their processes.
Using technology to keep kids safe

The app, known as FDLE Mobile, was created by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It helps track sex offenders and delivers alerts straight to the phones of parents. FDLE Mobile was released just prior to Halloween — a holiday where parents tend to be especially vigilant about who’s living in the neighborhood.

By using the app, parents can identify where sex offenders live in the area — and subsequently avoid those homes, especially when trick or treating.

It’s a clever technological solution to a very real problem. While sex offender registries are publicly available, the information isn’t always easily accessible. Parents may have to scan poorly organized and non-user friendly websites to find where registered offenders live.

By creating the new app, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (the state’s top agency), has made this information instantly accessible on a mobile device, allowing parents to make more informed decisions about the places their children are allowed to go.

A well-rounded technological solution

The new app, which is available for download for both iOS and Android, also possesses a variety of other useful features. Along with searching for sex offenders and identifying their locations on a map, users can search for missing people and unsolved cases, review local laws and explore Florida crime statistics.

The app also allows citizens to report suspicious activity directly from the app to local law enforcement and keep up with the latest videos and website links from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Florida’s law enforcement community isn’t alone in their efforts; the development of mobile apps to assist with law enforcement priorities is a growing trend. Other examples include the RAIDS app, which allows the public to identify areas where recent crimes have occurred and send alerts about criminal (or suspicious) activities in those areas.

Another app, US Cop, is designed to help officers (in street roles) with their day-to-day job duties. Features include CPR tutorials, pill identifiers, case law primers, training articles, and investigation formulas. The Red Cross also maintains a first aid-based app that helps police officers and members of the public effectively respond to emergencies, potentially saving lives in the process.

Police are also using mobile applications to help them resolve language barriers between officers and the (often non-English speaking) communities they serve.

Much like every other industry, law enforcement is becoming much more tech and data-driven. By harnessing the power of deep data and mobile, top Florida advertising agencies can help members of the community better protect themselves — while also helping conduct operations with greater insight and efficiency.

How BIGEYE can help with app development

As a top Florida advertising agency, we help organizations create intuitive, easy to use mobile applications that offer exceptional user experience. If your business or agency could benefit from a new approach to mobile app marketing, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team of experts.

As one of the leading full-service marketing and advertising agencies in Florida we are eager to announce the promotion of Sandra Marshall to the position of director of client services. Previously a senior account manager, Marshall will oversee the Account, Media, and Research and Strategy departments at the agency.
“Sandra joined BIGEYE eight years ago as an account executive, and it was clear early on that she was eager to take on more responsibility,” said Justin Ramb, the firm’s founder and CEO. “More importantly, it quickly became apparent that she had the advertising acumen, business insight, and work ethic to do so. This promotion allows us to capitalize even more on her skills and experience to benefit our clients and the agency.”

Marshall has been with the firm for eight years. Prior to joining BIGEYE, she worked in media as a broadcast television account executive for Orlando’s NBC affiliate WESH 2.

“I’ve enjoyed my work as a senior account manager and the opportunity it has provided to build strong relationships with our clients,” said Marshall. “I look forward to continuing and growing those relationships as I take on a bigger role in coordinating the efforts of our Account, Media, and Research and Strategy departments, all while delivering positive results for the organizations we work with, and ensuring the highest levels of client satisfaction.”

About BIGEYE

Located in Orlando, Florida, we are a fully integrated, multi-platform advertising agency that curates deeply compelling campaigns and brand experiences alongside their clients. The BIGEYE team of creative directors, copywriters, artists, programmers, and account managers works closely with clients to better understand the needs of their consumers and deliver measurable results. Contact our team today to learn about our services, careers, and more!

If a tree falls in the woods, but no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
You’ve probably heard that hoary old chestnut once or twice before. So let’s update it to the age of digital marketing agencies.

If you create a brilliant marketing campaign, but its effects can’t be accurately measured, is it really succeeding?

New tools and sharper measurements

Recently, at this year’s Advertising Week, YouTube announced an expansion to its TrueView in-stream ad format, one that allows viewers to take actions while watching ads. These actions include purchasing movie tickets, booking vacations and downloading apps. Companies such as 20th Century Fox, Maybelline, and Vodafone have tested the service, and have reported intriguing results. Vodafone, for example, reported a 3.5% click-through rate and significant improvements in ad recall.

The idea behind the upgrade is simple: While a video ad for a new film might intrigue a viewer, it can just as easily be forgotten a few minutes later, meaning action is never taken. YouTube’s new system allows viewers to immediately open an interface that shows theater and ticket availability, allowing the viewer to book a ticket while the experience is occurring.

YouTube also announced a new addition to its Google Measurement Partners program. Now, in addition to Oracle Data Cloud and Nielsen Data Solutions, digital marketing agencies and marketers can measure their data through third-party research firm IRI.

IRI is supporting Google’s new brand lift metrics, which show advertisers the following data:

• Positive response rate
• Number of lifted users
• Cost per lifted user
• Headroom lift
• Absolute brand lift
• Relative brand lift
• Control positive response rate

IRI is supplying Google with e-commerce and in-store sales data to show the precise impact YouTube ads are having on sales — precious insight for any marketer.

Pinterest has also announced new measurement options associated with Oracle Data Cloud’s Moat Measurement (for viewability) and NinthDecimal (for foot traffic). Pinterest reports achieving 90% viewability for Pinterest’s in-app ads, which is much higher than Moat’s industry benchmark of 57%.

NinthDecimal, meanwhile, analyzed billions of ad impressions across numerous industries. The conclusion: 93% of Pinterest campaigns delivered an increase in foot traffic.

These studies illustrate the critical importance of having refined measurement tools that can offer brands quantifiable evidence of campaign impact. In an era where accurate ROI calculations are a competitive imperative, access to such tools has become essential for almost any brand operating in the digital advertising space.

The right digital marketing agency can help you measure success

We work at the intersection of creativity and technology, here at BIGEYE. We believe that effective campaigns require brilliant ideas and the advanced technological tools needed to implement them.

If you’d like to partner with one of the most dynamic digital marketing agencies around, please contact us today for more information.

 

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You probably knew that Facebook and Google are behemoths of the digital world. Yet you might not appreciate just how far their respective reaches extend.
Recent research shows that Facebook and Google account for more than a quarter of the time spent online by users in the United Kingdom. For every three-and-a-half minutes, U.K. users spend online, one of those minutes is dedicated to a Facebook or Google property.

And that’s something that has extraordinary implications for advertisers.

Making the “digital advertising duopoly” work for you

Due in part to their online omnipresence, Facebook and Google own a staggering 60% of the global digital advertising market. By creating a cross-channel advertising campaign that exploits the power and reach of these two digital titans, brands can benefit from this market dominance.

A cross-channel approach makes sense because it closely tracks how audiences behave and how they consume content. Most of us are constantly toggling back and forth between apps and devices, something that can seriously limit the effectiveness of an ad run across a single channel.

With a cross-channel approach, advertisers can port user data between channels and use it to build more targeted and effective campaigns. One example of this is the Spanish hotel firm Melia, which uses a cross-channel campaign focusing on real-time search intent.

By using cross-channel tools, Melia was able to identify the specific destinations users searched for on Google. Then, the company had the capability to automatically create custom Facebook audiences derived from those searched keywords.

The results were deeply impressive: A return on investment 30 times higher than seen with their traditional Facebook campaigns, and a conversion rate increase that was 22 times higher.

As this example illustrates, Melia was able to use Facebook and Google together in a way that heightened the impact of both. By using cross-channel advertising in this fashion, brands not only gain greater visibility into the history and preferences of their audience but an enhanced ability to measure and track performance.

Brands can also use tools to ensure ad continuity across channels. This means ads won’t repeat, and more relevant ads can be delivered, as needed depending on where a user is in the funnel. The more touch points created, the more the effect of the ad is amplified.

We’ve also written before about how cross-channel is integral to Over-the-Top (or streaming) media. When audiences are hopping from device to device, or channel to channel, it’s essential to have a unified brand message. Roughly three-out-of-four consumers say they prefer an integrated approach, while Google has published data showing that most people display better ad recall when shown cross-channel advertising.

Ultimately, by offering a unified message, creating more touch points and leveraging the power of multiple platforms, brands can maximize the reach of their campaigns.

Meet the cross-channel advertising specialists

At BIGEYE, we’re experts in creating the kind of dynamic cross-channel advertising campaigns that deliver results. Contact us today for more information about what BIGEYE can do for you.

It’s no surprise that so many companies are enamored with the idea of e-commerce. After all, what’s more, attractive than the notion of having billions of potential customers just a click away?
Yet potential, in this case, doesn’t always meet performance. For far too many companies, their e-commerce strategies simply aren’t gaining the necessary traction.

Fortunately, there’s a prescription for this particular ailment: Finding the right target audience by embracing social commerce and partnering with an e-commerce development company.

The rise of the digital storefront

Snapchat recently announced the rollout of a few new e-commerce features in time for the upcoming holiday season. The company is making its Shoppable Snap ads (previously a pilot project) available to all advertisers through its self-service ad platform.

Businesses can now import their product catalogs to create richer and more detailed ads. Snapchat has also improved its Pixel tool, allowing viewers to see the total number of purchases associated with a campaign. In addition, they announced plans to expand its agency partner list – which is good news for businesses that need help creating e-commerce campaigns on the app.

Shoppable Snap ads have taken one more step in the evolution of the digital storefront. Once, e-commerce was limited to a website, and typically one that people had to search for themselves. Today’s e-commerce is occurring in a much more social context. Consumers can scroll through Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook, see a well-integrated ad that piques their interest, then begin the purchase process with the touch of a button.

By lowering friction, the ads deliver higher engagement. Snapchat reported the Shoppable eBay ads received five times more engagement than standard Snapchat ads, while Shoppable ads for Wish.com received an astounding 17 times more engagement — numbers that should make any e-commerce retailer pay attention.

Shoppable ads — and their equivalents found on other social platforms — aren’t succeeding merely because they are lowering friction; they are also tapping into longstanding (and possibly innate) human preferences. Shopping has always been a communal activity. Brick and mortar shopping — once the defining feature of suburban malls everywhere — is migrating to social platforms.

The future of social commerce

The evolution to social commerce and the digital storefront is still in its early stages. This means that forward-thinking brands stand to earn a competitive edge by staking out their ground early.

It’s very possible that in the near future, social media platforms will become more than a conduit to e-commerce. Consumers hate friction, so businesses are locked in a never-ending battle to eliminate it. While pressing a catalog image at the bottom of a social ad and being sent to a retailer’s website may not seem like much trouble, imagine a future where you see an item in Snapchat or Instagram and buy it immediately, with a single touch.

Social media has already swallowed the news reporting and publishing businesses. Most of us don’t visit these websites anymore; we are redirected to them via our social apps. Social media platforms are now the process of doing the same thing to the world of entertainment, with their focus on original video content.

Despite Amazon’s hegemony, it’s not a stretch to imagine a similar fate for e-commerce.

Finding the right e-commerce development company

At BIGEYE, we’re excited by the opportunities presented by social commerce, and we’re experts at helping brands gain more online retail traction. The right e-commerce development company can help you derive maximum benefit from Shoppable Snap ads and other tools.

If you’d like to revitalize your e-commerce strategy, we urge you to contact our social media experts today.