Creating Content Focused on Social Commerce
A Breakdown of the Visual Content that Performs Well in Both Facebook & Instagram's Storefronts.
In 2019, Facebook and Instagram launched their respective shops, online storefronts where users can browse, explore and purchase products directly on the platforms. The social apps built this new feature as part of a more significant effort to step from just being inspirational platforms to becoming an actual online marketplace and intervening in a very fragmented online apparel market.
Any business selling products can have it seamlessly integrated into their user’s page and showcase entire collections of products in a simply designed page that makes shopping easy for their customers. Even if users are mainly just using it to browse and look for products and then shopping directly on-site or on the brand’s website, they’re a great business opportunity as both Instagram and Facebook slowly improve their user experience.
For businesses, this new model has meant adapting to a new way of selling and interacting with customers and visually presenting its products. Both platforms include their shop feature as a virtual shopping mall that needs to be addressed with a professional strategy to be able to see results and convert searches into purchases.
All content featured needs to be informative and captivating at once and showcase the product through high-quality images, the same as any brand’s website. Composition, styling, lighting, and angles must be right and feature different points of view of the product, its details, and textures. Making the most out of the space given by the platform (that is, five images per product) is crucial, provided that the information that can be displayed about every product is very reduced. That’s why images should be detailed and very descriptive of the product and its features.
Using a consistent background through the overall storefront or collection is also essential to add cohesiveness and help with a smooth user experience, similar to the one used in a traditional shopping website. White, off-white, or light-grey backgrounds work best, making the product stand out and acquire its importance. When displaying a beauty product, ensuring it stands out from the backdrop and looks polished and glossy is crucial for making it stand out, especially in the reduced space that both social platforms’ mobile interfaces allow for images.
Working with a model, especially when creating content featuring clothing or accessories, is an excellent way to put the products into context and showcase how they can be worn or used. It also allows the customer to quickly understand the garment’s length and fit, its material, and how thick or thin it is, especially when adding motion. Showing any item in a real-life situation will always help users imagine how they can integrate them into their lives and almost always translates into more sales.
Creating visual content specifically designed to be featured in social commerce means understanding how these platforms work and only takes a few changes and additions to any brand’s already planned visuals. As both Facebook and Instagram work towards improving their respective marketplaces, adapting to these new changes on what a customer journey looks like will be fundamental for businesses in the upcoming years.
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Slate Studios is a Creative Production Company focused on Advertising & Editorial services for the Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle Industries. Featuring in house art buying, studio, equipment, retouching & production capabilities, Slate Studios offers end to end digital content production across still & motion, streamlining projects of high complexity for our clients. With a focus on strategy, creativity, innovation, and quality, Slate Studios is proud to support digital content initiatives for the world’s leading names in the fashion, beauty, & lifestyle sectors.
