Image Courtesy of Facebook
Everyone likes a seamless shopping experience. Any kind of friction or inconvenience along the path to purchase can be the ultimate deal-breaker. That’s why it’s so important to create a shopping experience that flows smoothly from the moment customers first see your ad to the moment they have the product in their hands.
According to Facebook, the projected opportunity cost of friction for this year is $213 billion in the United States alone. Here are Facebook’s recommendations for reducing friction during customers’ shopping experience.
Post Content Where Customers Are Most Active
Customers are more likely to engage with your brand if you’re reaching them on platforms they’re already visiting on a regular basis. For example, more than one billion Stories are shared daily, so if your target audience often uses stories, you should engage with that audience through the Stories format on both Instagram and Facebook. Because News Feed videos receive a lot of engagement, you should also consider using video ads to deliver your message.
Mansur Gavriel is an example of a brand that successfully reaches audiences where they are most active. The brand’s fall 2018 “See Now Buy Now” campaign generated 16 times more clicks to its website through Instagram Stories and video formats.
Use Dynamic Ads to Show Relevant Products
With Facebook’s Dynamic Ads, you can automatically show customers products that are most relevant to them. Because the ad experience becomes more meaningful when they see products they are most likely to be interested in, they are more likely to complete their purchases.
Dick’s Sporting Goods saw success with its Dynamic Ads and store sales optimization, promoting both in-store and online shopping experiences. Promoting products that were relevant to each shopper, the brand generated $10 million in incremental sales and 100,000 incremental purchases.
Use Shopping on Instagram
If your target audience already spends a lot of time on Instagram, seamlessly reach them and make it convenient for them to buy using Shopping on Instagram. This format allows customers to easily access product details and pricing directly through the app, expediting the checkout process with a direct path to your brand’s website. Seventy-five percent of monthly active Instagrammers are on the platform to shop anyway; Shopping on Instagram makes it easy to deliver that experience.
Use a Messenger Bot for Seamless Customer Service
More and more shoppers want to easily communicate with brands through social media, as opposed to in-person on the phone. According to Facebook, 64 percent of shoppers prefer to send a social media message than communicate with a business on the phone or via email. Facebook Messenger Bots also allow you to provide convenient and excellent customer service automatically, keeping your customers happy.
For example, Sephora used a Messenger Bot during the holidays to make appointment booking easier for customers. The Bot included features such as a date and time selector, appointment reminders, and calendar syncing. Providing this customer service experience helped Sephora book 60 percent more appointments.
Don’t let an avoidable point of friction interrupt your sales flow. Give shoppers the best, seamless experience they can have, and your brand will reap the benefits.
