The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Retail Technology Instagram

Instagram, Amazon add features to make shopping easier

Author

By Haley Velasco, Freelance journalist

March 22, 2017 | 4 min read

Both Amazon and Instagram are flexing their muscles in the shopping sphere.

Instagram, Amazon add features to make shopping easier

Instagram, Amazon add features to make shopping easier / Courtesy of Instagram

Amazon has created, “Outfit Compare,” a feature for US Prime members to give them fashion advice. When using the feature, a user sends two different outfit images and the service uses fit, color, style and trend to pick the best outfit.

According to Amazon, a team of fashion experts mark the photos with a 'style scale' and give them a ranking from 'Definitely Pick This One!' to 'We Like This Better' to 'It Was a Close Call.'

The Outfit Compare feature is under the “Program and Features” section in the Amazon Shopping app.

This isn’t the first time that Amazon has made moves to bust into the shopping space. In 2016, they started to sell through a number of private clothing labels, including Franklin Tailored, Franklin & Freeman, James & Erin, Lark & Ro, Society New York, North Eleven and Scout + Ro.

Instagram has taken on shopping features in its own platform. The company has expanded its test drive of 20 brands, which included Warby Parker, J. Crew, Kate Spade, Macy’s and more in the fall, to thousands spanning apparel, jewelry and beauty, who will now be able to sell directly through the platform.

Warby Parker from Instagram for Business on Vimeo.

According to Instagram, users tapped to learn more about a product that was tagged, 19% continue to “shop now.”

“Instagram’s shopping capabilities perfectly align with Macy’s strategy of creating a frictionless shopping experience for our customers,” said Tessa Kavanaugh, Macy’s director of social media, in a statement. “By allowing users the opportunity to purchase featured items they want via a seamless transition from the social platform to our e-commerce site, Instagram is helping us create better engagement with consumers. We’re encouraged by the results we saw during the holiday and gifting time frame this past year, particularly the double-digit increase in sessions on our e-commerce site directed from the platform.”

The additional companies will occur over the coming weeks in the US, and an international rollout will be in the works in the following months.

“The latest update to Instagram’s shopping functionality, which opens the service out to thousands of brands, is a sign of things to come,” said Fabrizio Perrone, its CEO and co-founder, Buzzoole, in a statement. “It reflects consumers’ desire for a more authentic shopping experience, that favours discovery over the purely transactional. That’s why Instagram’s new development strikes a crucial balance: combining the excitement of the high street with the seamlessness of online shopping.”

Retail Technology Instagram

More from Retail

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +