Dive Brief:
- Mobile platform Salesfloor announced the launch of SocialShop, which allows store associates to create shoppable Instagram posts to share with customers, according to a Salesfloor press release sent to Retail Dive.
- Associates can already share product photos and other relevant social media posts via the platform, but the new feature allows for mobile checkout of items tagged in an Instagram post. Associates get credit for the sale when customers complete purchases through SocialShop, per the release.
- Neiman Marcus stylists are already using the feature, with several other clients launching SocialShop this month. Salesfloor plans to expand SocialShop beyond Instagram later this year.
Dive Insight:
SocialShop is yet another method for individual sales associates to connect with mobile-friendly customers. The platform in 2017 added messaging via Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and WeChat, to complement its live chat, email and in-person appointment booking features.
The SocialShop launch "represents a huge opportunity to leverage their associates’ connections and convert social media networks into a sales platform," Oscar Sachs, CEO and co-founder of Salesfloor, said in a statement.
A 2017 study by Salesforce reported that 54% of millennials and 39% of Gen X shoppers researched products via social media before purchasing. The increasing ability to complete purchases on those social networks, combined with access to Salesfloor-enabled associates, may drive more customers to buy items on first look. Instagram launched in-app checkout last month with a beta group of about 20 retailers.
More than 25,000 store associates at major retailers use the Salesfloor platform, according to the company.
