Willy Wonka made consuming media literal with his “Wonka Vision” invention that teleported a giant chocolate bar to be eaten right out of a TV screen. Sadly, this kind of instant gratification will likely only exist in fiction. With the arrival of buyable pins and stoppable buttons, however, brands may have found the next best thing.
Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have all recently announced features to allow immediate in-platform buying. This not only capitalizes on the impulse-buy mentality but it brings “wanting” one step closer to “having” for consumers. That said, before marketers start high-fiving, they should understand that simply slapping a buy button onto an existing image or video is somewhat like a concept car at an auto show: a promising idea, just not entirely possible at the moment.
While the idea of buy buttons seems simple enough, they will prove devilishly difficult to execute. Here’s why:
Despite the challenges ahead, there is still a good case for buttons. A late yet promising entrant into the buy button bonanza, Google stands to realize early successes compared to other companies. Why? Google already owns an e-commerce platform, and since most people search for product or pricing information online during the purchase process, a well-placed Google buy button could help convert a shopper’s impulses into material purchases.
At the end of the day, shoppers need true inspiration and solutions to their everyday problems. They find those online in blog posts, videos, and images from their favorite online influencers. Buy buttons can succeed if and when placed in the appropriate context. However, that context will be determined and driven by the shopper and where they choose to spend their dollars. Brands dabbling with buy buttons must keep this consumer-first manta in mind in order to find early success with this new social tool.
Brad Lawless is VP of Social Strategy at shopper social media platform Collective Bias.