October 8, 2021
The Ideal QA Process in Digital Advertising
There have been many changes in the ecommerce world so far in 2019, and to add to the fun, Instagram and Pinterest both recently announced some exciting new features. Pinterest is expanding its Shopping Ads, and Instagram is currently beta testing in-app checkout.
Both Pinterest and Instagram are typically used by consumers researching products they want to buy, making them ideal advertising platforms for ecommerce sellers. In fact, according to Hootsuite, 60 percent of users, which amounts to over 600 million people, seek out and discover new products on Instagram. Pinterest cites that 90 percent of users say they make purchasing decisions on the platform, and 70 percent use it to find new products.
Below are more details of both features as well as how you might want to use them.
Pinterest Shopping Ads
Pinterest’s new shopping format was initially rolled out for large businesses like Ulta, Overstock, and Lowe’s, but the company is now expanding the program. If you have a Pinterest business account, you can start using Shopping Ads by just importing a product catalog. If the products meet Pinterest’s specifications, Pinterest then creates shoppable pins for those products.
This expanding feature turns Pinterest into more of a storefront, especially since many Shopping Ads offer a view to see more products from the brand. Pins that include a product from a feed are parked with a small price tag below the pin and have a different look than regular pins. These Pinterest ads will also show the price, product title, and description.
Instagram Shoppable Ads & In-App Checkout
Instagram has been shifting their ecommerce strategy for quite a bit now. It started with Shoppable Instagram ads, and more recently, Instagram released a beta in the US that allows users to check out within the app.
Shoppable Instagram posts allow you to upload a feed to Instagram and tag up to five products in organic posts. Consumers can then click on products within an image to shop for them. These ads are signaled with a small shopping bag at the bottom left hand corner of the post, and you can add shoppable tags for products on old posts as well.
The Instagram in-app checkout beta would allow people to buy products without ever leaving Instagram, as well as receiving confirmation and shipping status in the app. Currently, only a few large companies are being allowed to run this new shopping experience. Considering there can often be loading issues or other frustrations with in-app pop-up windows, this change will likely be a solution to a great pain point many ecommerce companies face with Instagram advertising. Coupled with Shoppable Instagram ads, in-app checkout will likely continue to grow the number of purchases driven by Instagram.
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