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DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENTHOW SHOPPABLE ARTICLES AND INTERACTIVE VIDEOS TURN CONTENT CONSUMERS INTO ACTUAL BUYERS
his paper provides an insight behind the shift in
e-commerce and the role that content has played
in it. With the changes in consumer behaviour, and the
immediacy of which consumers want products, the whole
concept of online shopping is moving towards becoming
more experiential. This means that the only way for brands
to deliver an experience is to use engaging content —
content that entertains, educates, encourages interaction
and, as a result, drives sales without even trying to sell.
Such an element of “effortlessness” can be introduced by
a seamlessly integrated shoppable feature, which, for once,
allows brands to focus on telling an inspiring story rather
than just pushing sales.
AFTER ALL, THE ULTIMATE SECRET TO
SUCCESSFUL SELLING IS TO BUILD A BRAND
THAT INSPIRES.
Together, we have written this paper to explain what
shoppable content is, where it currently sits in the
innovative e-commerce landscape, and how it can help
your brand to stay ahead of the curve. We will look at
data to determine the effect that shoppable content can
have on consumers, compare two experiences that they
can have with it — namely, when it comes to shoppable
articles and interactive videos — and show which KPIs
brands can achieve if they make their content shoppable.
2DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
EXECUTIVE SUMMARYAT STYLA AND SMARTZER, WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF CONTENT. OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, WE’VE WATCHED
E-COMMERCE BRANDS RISE FROM TRADITIONAL “ONLINE CATALOGUES” TO INNOVATIVE SHOPPING PLATFORMS THAT PROVIDE
MUCH MORE THAN JUST SHOPPING. INSTEAD, MODERN E-SHOPS ARE ALL ABOUT EXPERIENCE, STORYTELLING
AND INNOVATION.
T
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO E-COMMERCE
s it stands today, there are up to 24 million stores
that sell goods and services online, which makes
e-commerce the biggest market in existence. Ever. Having
recently reached $1.6 trillion in size [1], e-commerce is
projected to grow at double digits in the future. In fact, the
slice of the whole e-commerce pie is becoming larger as
we speak: offline sales are tanking, more and more people
are shopping online, and the global commerce in general is
experiencing a dramatic shift from physical to digital retail.
But in order to successfully surf the wave of growth,
brands will need to seriously rethink their marketing
strategies and adjust to the new e-commerce landscape. If
they don’t, they run the very real risk of getting lost in the
crowd.
Think about it. With ever increasing product volumes,
today’s consumers (i.e. millennials and post-millennials)
are presented with an endless amount of choice. As a
result, their purchasing behaviour is changing due to other
trends, such as increase in mobile and the expectation to
access anything anywhere, anytime. On top of that, today’s
consumers also have a shorter attention span [2], less time
to make decisions and, most importantly, a huge need
for unique, authentic value that e-commerce hasn’t really
offered before.
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DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
evertheless, a few brands have already started to
obscurely move from a plain catalogue-like model
to providing something more experiential. Something that
instead of just traditional “hard selling” wraps products
in an engaging storytelling package — full of beautiful
editorial content, rich imagery and interactive videos —
whilst being seamlessly integrated into the old school
shopping process.
This leads to the emergence of the latest trend in
e-commerce: shoppable content.
With the rise of shoppable technologies, online retail
brands can merge content and commerce and create
unique, authentic experiences that not only help
consumers make better, faster shopping decisions, but
also entertain and inspire. The result? Happy consumer,
happy brand.
But first, let’s dig a bit deeper into the definition of
shoppable content.
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4DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
n simple terms, shoppable content is any type of content (i.e. videos,
articles, images, etc) that provides a direct purchasing opportunity and
allows consumers to either add products to cart directly from what they are
viewing or be taken to a product page and continue to shop from there.
The need for this innovation lies in the fact that today’s consumers are
expecting more than what the brands have been offering before. In this
technologically advanced age, people don’t want to just buy a product —
they also have to have an interesting story and a memorable experience
associated with it. Slowly, more and more brands are embracing this idea,
presenting a narrative for their consumers which sparks interest, evokes
feeling and inspires them through storytelling. In the long run, this is the key
to successfully selling a product.
I
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SHOPPABLE CONTENT
DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
nd indeed, storytelling does sell. In fact, it has been proven to be an essential ingredient when it comes to a
successful sales process. According to American neuroeconomist Paul Zak [3], when people hear good stories their
brain releases oxytocin (best known as a “moral molecule” and “empathy drug”), which as a result, makes people spend
56% more money, donate to 57% more causes, and express 17% more interest in advertising [4].
In other words, in order to be selling goods and services online, brands need to be selling stories — and digital marketers
should be fundamentally relying on engaging content.
However....
A
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THE SCIENCE OF STORYTELLING
DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
s popular as content marketing is, it has its problems
too — specifically when it comes to conversions and
measurements.
If you think about it, there’s always been a certain difficulty
in traditional content marketing to establish a direct
connection between a story and a product. While content
does grow awareness of a product by creating a story
around it, there’s still a considerable gap between the act
of selling and the act of buying. Whenever content would
inspire people to purchase a product, it could fail to deliver
a direct sale because consumers would have to go through
several stages of the purchasing process before being able
to actually buy it. In many cases they will be unable to find
the product and the sale will be lost. This can leave the
consumer feeling frustrated and can have a negative impact
on the company image. The truth is…
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“JUST” CONTENT ISN’T ENOUGH ANYMORE
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DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
n stark contrast, modern shoppable technologies erase the gap between content and product by reducing the
number of steps needed to make a purchase. In other words, instead of this model:
As the result, the less steps there are between seeing a product and being able to shop it directly, the higher are the
conversion rates.
Shoppable technology can shorten the conversion process to something like this:
Or in some cases, even this:
I
8DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
PRODUCTPAGECONTENT
CONTENT
CONTENT
IDENTIFYING& FINDING
PRODUCTADD TO
CART PAYMENT
PRODUCTPAGE
ADD TO CART PAYMENT
ADD TO CART PAYMENT
nother struggle point in traditional content marketing is that there’s been a great difficulty to understand ROIs
and accurately measure the effectiveness of content as such. So far, there have been no clear way to estimate
conversions and click-through rates, making it incredibly difficult to predict how effective content actually is when it
comes to sales (something that 83% of B2C content marketers [5] put as the highest priority, by the way).
On the contrary, shoppable content makes it easy to monitor all the click-throughs and see which parts of the story
people interact most with. But more on that in the next chapter, where we discuss what shoppable articles and videos
actually look like.
A
9DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
n today’s e-commerce market, millennials and post-millennials are the most powerful driving force
behind most purchasing decisions out there. The thing to remember about them (especially about
females) is that they favour fun and energizing shopping environments more than anything else. And
what’s more, they also really value trusted advisers and counselors that help to make better purchasing
decisions [6]. In marketing terms, content is the perfect tool to target the modern generation tanks to its
brilliant mixture of entertainment and education.
But there’s another thing about millennials to consider. And no, it’s not the fact that millennial consumers’
attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish. It’s the fact that millennials are impatient and want all
processes to be fast, efficient, and seamless. They know what they want, and they want what they want
when they want it. That is, millennials need instant gratification and instant access to get what they want
right away. And what’s more, the also demand an effortless transition between the experiences — the shift
from content to purchase must be smooth and quick.
That’s why making articles shoppable is an obvious step to take in content marketing.
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SHOPPABLE ARTICLES:TURNING READERS INTO BUYERS
“Today’s content should provide instant gratification to those who consume it. It is not enough to produce beautifully-written stories with a call to action at the end. If a brand is trying to grab people’s attention but isn’t able to satisfy it, it does nothing but deceive the customer.”
- Philipp Rogge, CEO at Styla
I
he first thing to understand about shoppable articles is that they are, first and
foremost, like any other articles: following the basic narration principle, they
are aiming at bringing true value by educating, entertaining, inspiring and engaging the
readers. The storytelling aspect is still a priority. But what makes shoppable articles
stand out from the crowd of content is — drum roll, please! — the seamlessly integrated
shopping opportunity.
Here’s how it works:
The shoppable technology builds a bridge between an e-commerce store and a content
platform (e.g. online blog or digital magazine), integrating existing products from an
online shop into an article. Then, every product image (be it a photo or a gif) is assigned
a “Buy It Now” or “Go To Shop” option that allows to either add the product directly to
cart or proceed to a product page for a full description. This way, a single piece of content
becomes a powerful shopping channel that smoothly converts readers into consumers
without any effort.
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BUY IT NOW
DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
ne of the very first examples of shoppable articles comes from Net-A-Porter, which built a shoppable magazine
called The Edit. The reader can hover over any product, click on it and instantly get referred to the product page
“to get the look” there.
O
12DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
lternatively, articles can also be directly shoppable, in which case the reading experience isn’t interrupted. A good
example to illustrate comes from Baukjen, a London-based womenswear brand. On their website, Baukjen runs a
digital magazine where readers can immediately add any product from content to cart, be it directly from articles or the
whole blog feed.
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13DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
14DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
nother good example coming from a fashion brand could also be Graziashop, an online retail project of Grazia
Magazine. On their e-commerce platform, the brand has integrated a blog called Your Fashion Stories, which is
essentially a source of inspiration that drives readers to Grazia’s online shop.
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15DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
+60%
x3
22%
112%
+57%
+65%
TIME SPENT ON PAGEThe amount of time spent on page is increased
by 60% (3.2 minutes on average)
RETENTION RATE
3x higher rate of returning visitors
CLICK-THROUGH-RATEThe click-through-rate to product pages
reaches up to 22%
SOCIAL SHARES112% more social shares coming from content
NON-PAID TRAFFIC 57% more non-paid traffic to the content site
(25x more from social and 2x more direct)
PRODUCTIVITY65% saved time for content creation
The following numbers illustrate shoppable content KPIs based on Styla clients’ performance (until March 2016).
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n average, the conversion rate in e-commerce is 5% from website to basket and
1.4% from website to sales [7]. Shoppable content let brands to attract potential
customers before the buying decision is made, when they are looking for the inspiration.
Taking them into the buying funnel earlier decreases the Acquisition Costs and increases
the Retention rate.
The boost of purchasing interest can be explained by the ease of access of the shoppable
features, which allow modern consumers to satisfy their purchasing desires immediately,
upon a spark of inspiration or a simple whim. This is something that brands — even those
doing content marketing — were simply unable to offer before.
But it’s not only articles that are getting “shoppified” now: videos, which offer a slightly
different user experience, are becoming shoppable, too. However, how exactly the KPIs
form shoppable videos look is something we’ll take a closer look at in the next chapter.
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DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
y 2017, video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic [8], while 64%
of marketers expect video to dominate their strategies in the near future [9].
These figures show that video has become a popular and fast growing digital marketing
tool across verticals. However, as previously mentioned, there has been very little
understanding of how this actually impacts sales as the connection between video and
purchases can be very difficult to track.
Just as shoppable articles engage the millennials amongst us, the emergence of
interactive and shoppable video technology aims to do the same by allowing consumers
to click on products in a video to see more details with the option to shop. This creates
a seamless journey from inspiration to purchase, making it as easy as possible for the
consumer to explore and shop items from videos.
B
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SHOPPABLE VIDEOS:TURNING VIEWERS INTO SHOPPERS
“Video in itself is a powerful storytelling tool. Alongside the fast growing trends of shoppable content, a seamless connection between video and commerce should be a given. It is also very important to have access to detailed video analytics for brands to start to really understand how consumers interact with video and what type of content works best for
their customers.”
- Karoline Gross, CEO at Smartzer
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hoppable videos are relevant for various types of content, whether it be product-focused or geared more towards
storytelling.
Marks & Spencer [10] released a perfect example of a shoppable video that was largely focused on storytelling but also
intended to educate the consumer on the products that were featured. The shoppable functionality was used in this
instance to allow consumers to explore the content much further, and linked the story to the products that could be
purchased from the immediate pop up once the consumer had clicked on the product in the video.
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DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
lternatively, there can be a different interactive video experience, in which each click upon a product is registered
simultaneously. In order to view the coveted products, the consumer must click there to extend a large panel on
the side and from here, they can then discover more about the product if they wish. A good example of this would be the
Rebecca Minkoff runway show:
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19DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
hoppable videos can also offer other functionalities for the consumer, such as entering competitions via a simple
form, signing up to email alerts regarding unavailable items, sending themselves email wish-lists of products they
like, and booking in-store appointments [12] — all from within the video player.
S
20DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
21DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
61%
75%
24%
56%
15%
9%
COMPLETED VIEWSConsumers who watched the video in full
INTERACTION RATE
Interaction rates exceeded at over 70%
CLICKTHROUGHClick-through rates to product pages at up to
24% and exceeds $10 per CTR on average
EMAIL SIGNUPS Engagement rates on competition forms
around 56%
VIEW TO ‘BUY NOW’% of views resulting in a ‘Buy Now’ click-through
CONVERSION TO SHOPConversion to purchase from product page
The results that Smartzer have seen from their own video technology have exceeded e-commerce standards. Here are the numbers that illustrate the results from the players up until February 2016.
hese positive results could serve as a benchmark in the industry, especially if
Marketing teams adopt this digital strategy for their companies and a large increase
in shoppable video does become a reality.
Shoppable video is already seeing an increasing adoption rate amongst some high
profile brands in a bid to enhance their digital marketing campaigns, backed by highly
successful metrics. The results only help to prove the effectiveness of shoppable videos,
as the technology turns them into a highly engaging marketing tool, allowing consumers’
interest in products to convert into sales.
The availability of this data is a key element in shaping future video strategies and creating
videos with the best possible engagement from consumers.
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DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
ut from what we’ve seen, more often than not, traditional digital content is lacking the essential elements of storytelling, as well as a fast and
convenient route to purchase products. This is the reason why content is currently going through a phase of digital innovation in order to become
more seamless, more interesting, and more experiential for today’s consumer. And what are the perks, you might ask?
Well, as content goes shoppable, it turns into a multifunctional shopping & entertainment device that engages people and makes them come back time
after time for a new purchase. Based on the KPIs, the boost in engagement directly increases click-through rates to products, which in turn, makes
shoppable content a smooth-running sales channel. Sounds like every marketer’s dream, doesn’t it? But that’s not all.
By using shoppable content, brands can better recognize the exact tipping points that trigger consumers to click on a product and make a purchase.
With the use of data that they would have otherwise struggled to obtain, brands can proceed with informed and coherent facts about what really drives
their audience. They will eventually be able to let the technology personalise content to specific readers which means that content would be perfectly
tailored to the likes and preferences of every single individual. This would mean personalised, directly shoppable content for everyone — and that
sounds like the future of digital marketing is happening now.
B
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IN CONCLUSIONSO HERE WE ARE, LIVING IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL CONTENT. THAT CONTENT — BE IT IN THE FORM OF ARTICLES, VIDEOS OR
SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY — WILL GROW AND CONTINUE TO PLAY A LARGE PART IN KEEPING CONSUMERS INSPIRED AND
ENGAGED.
DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
Styla is the first content commerce solution for shoppable
online magazines. Thanks to its seamless shopping
integration, Styla can easily transform content into an
exciting shopping experience, which lets brands and
online retailers inspire their customers with captivating
stories and encourage them to make a purchase. Top
e-commerce stores and brands, such as Speedo, Boohoo,
DeBeers, RTL and OBI, are already providing their clients
with a memorable shopping experience by engaging them
through online magazines powered by Styla.
GET IN TOUCHcontact@styla.com
Smartzer is a London based video technology company.
Their shoppable video players allow online brands to
generate sales and capture detailed analytical data directly
from the videos. Consumers can click on items within a
video to see further information and follow the link to
purchase. Smartzer’s video tagging technology allows for
the video players to be created at a fast turnaround. And
already brands like Whistles, Puma and Marks & Spencer
have adopted the Smartzer technology to enhance their
consumer’s online shopping experience.
GET IN TOUCHinfo@smartzer.com
24SMARTZER CASE STUDY VON STYLA
ABOUT AUTHORS
[1] http://blog.lemonstand.com/just-how-big-is-the-ecommerce-market-youll-never-guess/
[2] http://digitalistmag.com/lob/sales-marketing/2014/05/30/thanks-social-media-average-attention-span-now-shorter-goldfish-01251966
[3] http://yesware.com/blog/storytelling-drives-sales/
[4] http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0056934
[5] http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2016_B2C_Research_Final.pdf
[6] https://barkleyus.com/AmericanMillennials.pdf
[7] https://moz.com/blog/ecommerce-kpi-benchmark-study
[8] http://cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns827/white_paper_c11-481360_ns827_Networking_Solutions_White_Paper.html
[9] http://brafton.com/news/survey-says-marketers-increase-social-video-content-budgets
[10] http://marksandspencer.com/s/women/the-denim-style-guide?intid=hp_car_1_1_120216_cidenim
[11] http://fashionandmash.com/2016/02/16/why-shoppable-videos-make-sense-for-a-seebuywear-fashion-week-strategy/
[12] http://4.player.smartzer-editor.appspot.com/video?video=569381b5892325ff2314f4f8&companyId=5693817e892325ff2314f4f6
[13] https://marketingmag.com.au/news-c/content-marketing-will-300-billion-industry-2019/
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DEFINING SHOPPABLE CONTENT - STYLA & SMARTZER
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