Introduction to New Facebook Features
Facebook has announced the introduction of augmented reality (AR) ads to the Facebook news feed and the expansion of shopping in Instagram Stories to all corporations. This move is anticipated to revolutionize the best way businesses interact with their customers on social media. Ty Ahmad-Taylor, VP of product marketing at Facebook, announced these updates at Facebook’s ‘Here for the Holidays’ event, which was attended by about 200 marketing professionals.
Augmented Reality Ads
The AR ads will allow users to check out products virtually before making a purchase order. For instance, users will have the opportunity to try on sunglasses and buy them straight from the ad. This feature is anticipated to reinforce the shopping experience and increase sales for businesses. Wayfair, Sephora, Pottery Barn, NYX Professional Makeup, Bobbi Brown, and King are among the corporations which have signed as much as take part in the testing of AR ads. Michael Kors was the primary company to check AR ads within the news feed.
Expansion of Shopping in Instagram Stories
Shopping in Instagram Stories is currently in beta and is obtainable to pick advertisers like Old Navy and Gap. However, it is going to be open to all corporations in time for the vacations. This feature will enable businesses to tag products of their stories, allowing users to buy from the story itself. Marketers have expressed enthusiasm for this update, with many seeing it as a possibility to extend sales and engagement.
Reaction from Marketers
Marketers who attended the event were excited concerning the updates. Jess Jacobs, director of selling at Wayfair, said that the corporate sees AR as a core solution to reach customers and that Facebook’s latest AR ads will help drive people to Wayfair’s own AR properties. Kelsey Vanderlip, senior manager of name and strategy at Away, expressed interest within the expanded shopping capabilities in Instagram Stories, saying that it is going to be a helpful tool for the corporate.
Inspiration Behind the Move
The move to bring AR ads to the news feed was inspired by the success of AR in Facebook Messenger. Nike used AR in Messenger to exclusively sell its latest Kyrie 4s shoe and sold out in under an hour. Facebook also pointed to the growing popularity of AR, citing a stat from Boston Consulting Group that estimates that almost 80 million people within the US engage with AR on a monthly basis.
Mobile Video and Collection Ad Format
Facebook also shared its findings around mobile video, saying that one in three shoppers say video is one of the best medium for locating latest products. To help advertisers create mobile video ads, Facebook introduced a Video Creation Kit, a tool that uses existing images to create mobile video ads. The feature is in testing and can roll out to all advertisers in August. Additionally, Facebook is rolling out its Collection ad format inside Instagram to all advertisers, allowing people to browse additional products while staying contained in the Instagram feed.
Conclusion
The introduction of AR ads and the expansion of shopping in Instagram Stories are significant updates which can be expected to reinforce the shopping experience on Facebook and Instagram. With the vacation season approaching, these updates are timely and can likely have a big impact on businesses and users alike. As Facebook continues to innovate and improve its features, it is going to be exciting to see how these updates shape the longer term of social media marketing.
