GIFs are finally coming to Facebook comments Facebook might have taken awhile to bring GIFs to our timelines as well as Messenger, but better late than never. While our favourite social media platform hasn’t always been GIF friendly, GIFs are finally making their way to Facebook comments.
It makes perfect sense since GIFs allow us to express ourselves better than words, emojis and even stickers. Simply search for the perfect reaction from a huge bank of GIFs from GIPHY and other GIF providers, right in the comments section. This not-so-new feature follows after Facebook’s GIF rollout with its advertisers and their campaigns. No more ctrl c + ctrl v GIF URLs, go ahead and express yourself the way you know how. The circle is now complete. Facebook rolls out Collection to help retailers showcase products If Instagram can, Facebook can too. With the photo-sharing app adding a free shopping feature (jewellery and beauty brands are able to tag their posts with shoppable links), Facebook is also launching a new ad format called Collection to help retailers showcase their best products and drive retail sales on mobile. Apart from using Facebook to stalk your ex or crush, Collection now makes it simpler to make purchases right then and there. (Think late-night regrettable impulse purchases.) The new format will allow marketers to attach four recommended products below a video ad which when clicked on, will drive users to an immersive, fast-loading page that can include up to 50 products; a full screen shopping experience a la Facebook Canvas. The point here? We’re guessing a TVC style video ad + specific highlighted products all in one spot equals a win-win for the marketers, potentially encouraging viewers to make their purchases with immediacy while telling an interesting and more visual product story. As part of the rollout, Facebook is also testing a new metric for Collection called Outbound Clicks to give advertisers data on the amount of click-throughs from the newsfeed to the brand’s website/app.
Instagram releases a new feature for e-shoppers The temptation to indulge in retail therapy is about to get stronger thanks to Instagram with their latest feature called Instagram Shopping. The new feature allows retailers to tag their products in posts, and also allows interested shoppers to click through these tags to make a purchase.
One minor setback for businesses though – this is not applicable to video or carousel posts. Nonetheless, from inspiration to purchase in just a few steps, a seamless shopping experience can now be achieved from just the app alone. On top of the new installations, Instagram has also revealed that they will soon start providing retailers with stats on how their content is performing, and more about their audience engaging with the posts. Instagram Shopping is currently only available in the US.
