Top Articles to Read This Week: Innovations In E-commerce
Week 21, 2017
E-commerce was the hot topic this week in tech, yet again. “Shop Now” buttons have been appearing in social media platforms for a while, but it seems that they will soon take it one step further and add full e-commerce integration, as well. And these platforms should especially focus these efforts on mobile because users are increasingly buying all their products from their smartphones. On the retail side, traditional brick-and-mortar stores are fighting e-commerce by improving in-store experiences and luxury brands are finally getting into the e-commerce game, but not in the way you might think.
Here are the top articles to read this week:
1. Here’s why you’ll buy your next shoe on Instagram
By Fitz Tepper from TechCrunch
In a discussion with three e-commerce startups, TechCrunch Editor in Chief Matthew Panzarino discovered they all view the future of Instagram as more shoppable than ever before. These startups are, of course, not the only companies using the app to sell products, so it seems that it is only a matter of time before full transactions will be made on the Instagram platform.
2. Wal-Mart experiments with tech-enhanced ‘Next-Gen’ stores
By Daphne Howland from Retail Dive
Walmart has been trying to compete with Amazon in the e-commerce space for a while. Now, they are trying to compete on the brick-and-mortar side by integrating smartphone checkouts, interactive technology, and providing an e-commerce platform in the physical space.
3. How Facebook is wooing luxury brands
By Bethany Biron from Digiday
Luxury is presumed to be an offline experience. Facebook is for the masses, which makes it a lot less luxurious. However, Facebook is trying to win over luxury brands via “digitally influenced sales,” which aim to help luxury brands, who are late to the game, fully embrace the e-commerce experience.
4. 29.1 million Americans still don’t buy stuff on their smartphone
By Stewart Rogers from Venture Beat
Contrary to what the title implies, the number of people using mobile devices to purchase products has actually gone up in the last six months. And the research shows that those who do use their phones to make purchases do so frequently and consistently. In other words, mobile has become essential in e-commerce platforms.
5. How Social Media Influencers Helped Turn NYX And Becca Into Multimillion-Dollar Cosmetics Brands
By Deborah Weinswig from Forbes
Social media influencer marketing drives growth fast and hard in the beauty industry. This article provides two case studies about how two beauty brands used content created by influencers to launch their businesses. Plus, they give advice on how brands can approach and work with influencers.
Curated by Hadley Stork
