Meta and Amazon Collaborate for In-App Shopping in FB and IG
Amazon and Meta have partnered to make it easier to connect Facebook and Instagram accounts to Amazon. Customers will be able to purchase merchandise featured in their feeds without ever leaving the mobile app thanks to this. Interestingly, users can deliver goods to their chosen Amazon mailing addresses and complete transactions using their saved Amazon payment information. Only certain products that are promoted on Facebook or Instagram, either by Amazon directly or by independent sellers on Amazon’s storefront, are eligible for this in-app shopping feature. Meta can facilitate the process of allowing retailers to sell products on Facebook and Instagram without having to set up unique storefronts on those platforms by collaborating with Amazon.
The in-app shopping feature
This feature is referred to by the company as “Purchase with Amazon without leaving Facebook or Instagram.” A related support page has also been updated. India cannot currently access the page, but it is still accessible in the United States. The goal of this change is to prevent users from leaving their feeds while making purchases on Amazon, keeping them inside the app.
Image credit- TechCrunch
Users must complete a quick one-time setup in order to link their Amazon account to their Meta account (either Facebook or Instagram). Customers can easily make an Amazon purchase from the product ad after this is set up, without having to exit the Facebook or Instagram app. After that, the payment details and default shipping addresses that are saved on Amazon are used to finalize the sale.
Read More: Meta Contemplates Ad-Free Subscriptions, Targeting Indian Market
Benefits for advertiser
Users of Meta can now click on advertisements on Facebook or Instagram to visit a shop-like experience within the apps, making purchases simple and quick. Customers can make purchases using their linked Prime account without providing credit card information.
Improved ad signals: In order to boost customer investment, Meta receives more ad signals from the top online retailers and more attributed conversions.
Higher transaction fees: Due to its superior mobile discovery and ads engine, Amazon receives higher transaction fees than other retailers, which translates to more sales on its platform.
Increased conversions: With an extra sales channel and a 1:1 measurement between their most likely top ad platform and retail partner, merchants can increase the volume of conversions they generate.
Image credit- ITP Live
How will the in-app shopping feature help Meta and Amazon?
In an effort to increase ad revenue in the wake of Apple’s 2021 iOS privacy changes, Meta has decided to incorporate Amazon into its apps. It had an effect on both the digital ad market and Meta’s operations. However, the business recovered in 2023 following three quarters of declining revenue. According to Meta, the company’s investments in artificial intelligence have enabled it to attract retailers who are seeking to provide customers with personalized promotions.
Through their partnership, Meta and Amazon are able to profit from the benefits that each other offers. With its intent-based business strategy, Amazon can increase its market share. Moreover, it can assist retailers in attracting new clients who might not have actively looked for their goods. On the other hand, users can get targeted ads from Meta without having to actively search for them. This is thanks to its discovery-based business model. Data integration between the two platforms could be a crucial component of this. It includes Meta and Amazon sharing at least some insights that could better inform relative marketing strategies, ad performance, etc.
Amazon’s previous integrations
Amazon’s integration with Facebook and Instagram comes after a similar, mutually beneficial partnership between Pinterest and Amazon. Signed in April, the multiyear agreement between Pinterest and Amazon ads aims to increase the amount of shoppable content. Furthermore, it looks to improve the platforms’ selection of relevant brands and products. It also establishes Amazon as Pinterest’s first-party advertising partner. The collaboration may make it easier for customers to make purchases.
Here’s what they said
Amazon spokesperson, Callie Jernigan said
For the first time, customers will be able to shop Amazon’s Facebook and Instagram ads and check out with Amazon without leaving the social media apps. Customers in the U.S. will see real-time pricing, Prime eligibility, delivery estimates, and product details on select Amazon product ads on Facebook and Instagram as part of the new experience.
Read More: Meta Announces Five New Lead Generation, AI Powered Tools for FB, IG
Meta Makes Instant Messaging Fun, Launches New Features On Instagram
Meta introduced seven new messaging features to Instagram. The social media giant aims to make more investments in messaging to help users connect in a seamless way. In the new update, Meta is focused on Direct Messages and has rolled out only in select countries. It will make it available globally later.
Interesting Read: Instagram Rolls Out Ad Feature To The Shops Tab Globally
New Instagram Features can help users browse and chat at the right time. It also customizes message threads.
Image Credit: Meta
Browse and reply: Received a direct message (DM) while browsing? Tap the in-app notification to bring up the Reply text box. IT allows you to compose a reply and send it without having to navigate to the Inbox. This feature only seems to support text responses at present.
Quick DM’s: Reshare Instagram interesting content which can be a meme, video, or photo instantly just by tapping and holding the share button.
Who’s online: Bored and wondering who to chat with? Look no further than Instagram! Newly added to your Inbox is a horizontal list of all your online friends.
Image Credit: Meta
Song Preview: Can’t the song out of your head? Share it with your connections. The latest feature is enabled by integrations with Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify. You can send a 30-second song preview to your friends to listen directly in the DM.
Silent Messages: Send messages without disturbing friends during the night or when they’re busy by adding “@silent” to your message. It’ll not notify them but just sit there patiently waiting for them to eventually check their Inbox.
Lo-Fi: The new lo-fi chat theme makes your conversations feel more personal and chill.
Group Polls: Deciding on a meal plan or meet-up with friends? The new chat feature on Instagram allows creating a poll directly in your group chat.
Instagram is steadily becoming a more reliable Instant Messaging (IM) platform with these new features and additions. As Meta already supports cross-messaging between Facebook and Instagram, it only makes sense that something of the former should be added to the latter. This can only unify the two and smooth out the irregularities that cause them to be uniquely distinct.
Interesting Read: Meta Taps Zefr For Brand Suitability And Improve Advertising Safety Tools
Instagram Reels Gets Two New TikTok-Like Features!
Two new TikTok-like functionalities are coming to Instagram Reels, announced Instagram recently. Text to Speech and Voice Effects, two new audio capabilities, provide content producers greater possibilities when making Reels.
Creators may employ the Text to Speech function to have an artificial voice read any text they add to their video instead of using their own voice, and Voice Effects can be used to enhance the audio and voiceover in Instagram Reels.
The most recent elements of Meta’s (previously known as Facebook) social networking platform are already featured on TikTok.
Interesting Read: Google Is Reportedly Planning to Index Instagram and TikTok Videos
The Text to Speech and Voice Effects options are intended to let users become more creative with Reels. The text tool in the Reels camera may be used to access the Text to Speech function. It allows an auto-generated voice to read aloud the text that has been added to Reels. As previously noted, Voice Effects allows you to use a fake voice instead of your own to narrate your video.
This is one of the recent attempts by Instagram to attract users to engage in making Reels. The other one being – incentivizing the creative process by a large margin.
According to claims from TechCrunch and Business Insider, Instagram is paying creators large sums of money to publish videos on its Reels. Instagram unveiled its Reels rewards scheme in July, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcing that the company will pay $1 billion in bonuses to artists until 2022.
Also Read: Instagram Rolls Out Ad Feature To The Shops Tab Globally
Google Is Reportedly Planning to Index Instagram and TikTok Videos
Google is working on a potential deal with Byte Dance and Facebook to bring TikTok and Instagram videos respectively in Google Search results. At the moment, reuploads of Instagram or TikTok videos on YouTube or any third-party platform can be seen on Google. However, Google is trying a big change. If the deal goes well, Instagram and TikTok videos can be seen on the Search using the keywords. The tech giant is negotiating a deal to get data to rank and index the Instagram and TikTok videos on Search.
Regarding the deal talks, a Google spokesperson provided the below quote to The Information,
We help sites make their content discoverable and benefit from being found on Google, and they can choose how or whether their content appears in Search
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A Similar Deal With Twitter
In 2015, a similar deal was formed between Google and Twitter. As per the deal, Google pays a licensing fee to access the tweet data for indexing. Prior to the partnership with Twitter, Google did not rank and index individual tweets in search results like today. However, it is now easy to find Twitter content with a simple search.
If the said deal pans out, then it will be easy to find short-format video content as common as tweets in the search results. But the big question is will Instagram and TikTok hand over data to Google? Their reluctance is understandable, as Google owns YouTube and competes for the same short-format videos audience. Therefore it will be interesting to know if the deal turns into a formal agreement.
Interesting News: Google’s New Advertising Page Will Show Brand’s Recent Ad History
Win-Win For All!
If the internet giants agree then it will be a win-win situation for all. The Instagram and TikTok content will be discoverable on Google and receive an annual compensation similar to Twitter. In the long-term, Google will have billions of new videos to an index which will make the search engine a destination for articles and videos. This will also increase the search volume on Google which means more opportunities for publishers.
Presently, the terms of the agreement are not available between Google and Facebook as well as Byte Dance. We will keep you posted on the progress of the deal. Stay Tuned!
Also Read: Impact of Delay in Deprecation Of Cookies By Google On Adtech
Instagram Rolls Out Ad Feature To The Shops Tab Globally
Synopsis:
- Instagram launches the ad feature in the Shops tab globally
- Users can click on the Instagram Shop Advertisment to browse or view product details or save the product to the personal wishlist.
- This marks the latest update of Facebook’s ongoing commercialization strategy to monetize every segment of its social media empire.
Instagram announced the launch of ads in the Shop tab globally, rolling out in countries where Shop Tab has already been in operation. The aim is to earn more advertising dollars from brands hoping to reach new customers. The global roll-out allows brands to showcase their products to a larger audience who are already in a mood to browse.
This marks Instagram’s latest update in the ever-evolving and booming social commerce space. The photo-sharing app already has adverts sprouting on Reels, Stories, individual feeds, or suggested posts. Instagram Shop is a photo and video sharing app tab that allows users to browse items like clothing and beauty products, and let them buy directly through the app.
In the new feature, advertisements will appear as tiles on the Shop Tab, enabling the user to click on the ad and directly navigate to the product detail page, from where the potential buyers can read up and check additional photographs. The user can also browse other products of the respective brand. If a user does not want to purchase the product immediately then can save the details on a personal wishlist or share them with friends.
Credit: Instagram
Instagram has previously tested Shop ads with a few U.S advertisers like Away, Donny, Boo Oh, Clare paint but now is open to brands globally. As reported by Tech Crunch, these ads will launch with an auction-based model and only appear on mobile as Shops is not available on the desktop.
Facebook Tests ‘ Reels’, Similar To Short-Form Instagram Reels Video
Facebook is running a limited test ‘Facebook Reels’ in the U.S. The new feature is the parent company‘s version of the short-form Instagram Reels video. Facebook Reel will allow Facebook users to create and share short-video content directly within their News Feed or Facebook Groups.
The social media giant is already running a similar test in India, Mexico, and Canada whereas the limited rollout in the U.S is an extension of the test. The test will enable Instagram users to cross-post their reels on Facebook.
Facebook Reels Creation Tools Similar To Instagram
Facebook users in the test group can tap the ‘Create’ button from the reels section in their News Feed and access a standard set of tools similar to those on Instagram including video capture, camera roll import, music selection, and timed text.
Audio options for Facebook Reels include Facebook Music Library, record original music, or using music from others Reels if set ‘public’. Other features comprise many augmented reality effects created by Facebook or third-party, editing tools like a timer for hands-free recording, tools to speed up or slow down a part of audio or video.
Even though ‘most’ of the Instagram reels features will be available on Facebook reels, the Remix feature will be added later. Also, the user interface of Facebook Reels will evolve depending on the feedback to differentiate from Instagram Reels.
Facebook Reels Can Be Shared To All
After the creation of Facebook Reels, users can share it with Friends, specific audiences, or the public. It can also be shared with the members of Facebook Groups who share similar interests.
Credit: Tech Crunch
Users can check their past creations under the ‘My Reels’ option and can browse Reels created by others in the News Feed, Search, or Groups. Shared Facebook or Instagram Reels will be recommended to users based on popularity, interest, and engagement.
Why did Facebook Replicate Reels?
As a justification to the test, the company explained, “nearly half of time spent on the app is watching videos.” On Facebook’s earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that “Reels is growing quickly across all forms of videos and is the largest contributor to engagement growth on Instagram.”
It would be interesting to see whether people will dedicate the same time and effort to create content ‘Reels’ specially for Facebook.
Also Read: Facebook Plans a Privacy-Focused Approach to Rebuilt Its Ad System
Instagram’s Reels, Tik-Tok’s Clone, Is Now For 60 seconds Long
Instagram Reels doubled the previous time- limit of 30 seconds and added functionality for a caption sticker.
Now, you can record Reels up to one minute long. Instagram announced that the Reels time limit is doubled to 60 seconds for all users.
Reels. up to 60 secs. starting today. pic.twitter.com/pKWIqtoXU2
— Instagram (@instagram) July 27, 2021
Within a month of its launch, Instagram extended Reels from 15 to 30 seconds. Recently, Tik Tok expanded its time limit to 3-minute, and YouTube Shorts also has a 60 second time limit, so it was unsurprising for Instagram to follow the trend. However, it is wise for Instagram to expand Reels to 60-second as it gives creators more capacity to work with.
It is mainly useful for creators who repurpose the same posts that they are uploading on TikTok or other competitor’s apps to grow their following across multiple platforms. Cross-posting is beneficial to the creators but also to Instagram, as it gives more content for Reels.
ProTip: Instagram’s algorithm doesn’t promote cross-posting content with a TikTok watermark, as it will affect your reach.
Instagram also added functionality for a caption sticker on Reels. It converts audio to text making for people who want to enjoy the Reels without sound. However, this is available only in a handful of English-speaking countries but Instagram plans to expand to other countries and languages soon.
Credit: Adweek
