From screen to closet.
What’s happening? In 2017, a third of consumers are ditching brick-and-mortar to buy from mobile devices, according to a PwC Survey. Shoppers will see more options to customize and personalize their shopping experience through social media outlets and they will expect platforms like video to dominate. Hold tight for virtual reality to come into play too, Emily Bezzent told Forbes, head analyst at Edited. Along with typical retail outlets, other unexpected industries are following suit. Shopping app developers are responding to these trends in stride, with shopping app users increasing 76% between 2015 and 2016 and shopping apps are dubbed the most popular app in 2017, other than gaming.
Why should you care? With online shopping at an all-time high, now is the time for app developers to focus on opportunities in retail. For retailers, consider the benefits of amping up your online shopping game.
Who’s leading? Rachel Tipograph founded New York-based MikMak in 2015, a shopping app that creates, distributes, and analyzes social video or “minimercials” for retailers. TechCrunch described it as better than an “infomercial,” built for mobile and without the dread. The videos are meant to be short, useful and funny, some of them similar to content found on BuzzFeed or Snapchat. The company secred $3.2M from a second round of seed funding last year. It’s currently setting the stage for a patent, working with companies like GoPro and BirchBox, to use Snapchat and Instagram for eCommerce purposes. It’s called MikMak Attach.
Tipograph told AdWeek: “In two years, the entire internet is going to be controlled by five companies and the majority of our attention is going to set deeply in the platforms. I believe that social platforms are about to become the next great storefront.”
What can you do? If you own a retail business, know that you’re missing out on a huge revenue stream if you don’t offer online shopping with mobile-friendly capabilities. Weigh the positives and negatives of owning a brick-and-mortar location, and remember that shoppers who come to visit are looking for an experience. What can you offer that a website doesn’t?
