Moda Operandi consumers can now use Amazon Pay on its Like2Buy feed. Image courtesy of Moda Operandi
Online retailer Moda Operandi is highlighting the synergy between social, fashion and technology with a payment solution for its shoppable Instagram feed.
Working with marketing technology firm Curalate, Moda Operandi's Like2Buy-enabled Instagram feed has been furthered enhanced with a seamless payment extension. Curalate built out the Like2Buy platform in 2014 as a response to Instagram’s inability to connect an account’s post directly to ecommerce.
“Images and videos are becoming the new storefront,” said Apu Gupta, CEO and co-founder of Curalate, Philadelphia.
“They flow to consumers in social streams and inspire consumers in brief, thumb-stopping moments, on the go,” he said. “Turning that moment of inspiration into action requires you to create the easiest and most compelling shopping experience for consumers.
“Remote checkout reduces clicks and data entry making it a perfect fit for mobile commerce.”
Let Amazon fill in the blanks
While Instagram is a primary driver of discovery for brands and a source of style inspiration for users, the channel’s path to purchase is challenged.
“Of our social media platforms, Instagram drives the most revenue,” said Keiron McCammon, chief technology officer at Moda Operandi, New York. “With almost 1 million followers, we see a lot of engagement on our posts as our followers look to Moda Operandi as a source of discovery for designers and products.
“Year-over-year, traffic from organic social has increased by 140 percent,” he said.
Brands and retailers, including Moda Operandi, who leverage Curalate’s Like2Buy platform place a hyperlink within their Instagram bio. A Like2Buy link redirects to a feed that mirrors an Instagram account’s content, but consumers are able to make a direct purchase (see story).
Moda Operandi leverages Curalate's Like2Buy for social commerce. Image courtesy of Moda Operandi
To streamline this process further, Moda Operandi is expanding its Like2Buy’s payment solutions to be even more seamless.
Moda Operandi Like2Buy will now include the option to use Amazon Pay, a payment solution that automatically populates a consumer’s credit card data and shipment details with one click.
For example, if a consumer is interested in purchasing the J.W. Anderson Pierce mini handbag featured on Moda Operandi’s Instagram June 20, she simply heads to the Like2Buy link, clicks on the corresponding image and selects the product.
In the next box, she can either continue on to Moda Operandi’s Web site for additional product details and payment, or if she uses Amazon Pay, simply click the prompt. The only requirement to use Amazon Pay is that users have an existing Amazon account.
Rochas shoes and a J.W. Anderson handbag appear on Moda Operandi's Instagram feed. Image courtesy of Moda Operandi
After logging into Amazon, the consumer is redirected to Moda Operandi’s checkout page on its Web site, with all of the information fields already complete.
Moda Operandi first tested Amazon Pay on its Web site and trunk shows in April.
The online retailer is the first to use Amazon Pay as a payment option of Like2Buy and will promote the remote checkout option through a social-first campaign. Primarily on Instagram, the campaign will encourage consumers to use Amazon Pay as they shop.
“At Moda Operandi our growth initiatives center on the idea of elevating online luxury. In April of last year we introduced Amazon Pay on the Web site and now, we have expanded to include our Instagram gallery powered by Curalate,” Moda Operandi’s Mr. McCammon said.
“The Amazon experience offers greater confidence in making purchases both online or on mobile,” he said. “Our latest innovation between Moda Operandi and Amazon will offer customers a seamless checkout experience for products featured on Moda Operandi’s Like2Buy gallery using their existing Amazon account, omitting the extra steps for purchase.”
To the max
Moda Operandi recently maximized the mobile experience through an update for its application.
Launched in May, the redesign has allowed Moda Operandi to focus in on improving the experience for their customers by elevating and streamlining the purchase process as smooth as possible.
One area of focus for Moda Operandi was customer service. The app update allows customers to quickly get in touch with support from the company.
This commitment to support extends to Moda Operandi’s few physical locations as well, such as the appointment-only boutiques it has opened in a few cities, where customers can be personally guided through the shopping process (see story).
Although social commerce strides have been made, ecommerce selling should not be a marketer’s end game for these channels.
“Treating Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. as just another ecommerce channel misses the power of those networks,” Curalate’s Mr. Gupta said. “And thinking of them strictly as a direct-response platform is misguided.
“People don't pick up their phones with the intention of going shopping on Facebook or Instagram,” he said. “But they do opt-in to inspiration. Incredible storytelling told by brands through visual content that captures attention and often causes people to ask, 'What's that?'
“In that moment a brand has achieved something incredible. They've introduced people to something they never knew they needed in their lives. Discovery is a vital role. And Instagram is amazing at it. And now, discovery and commerce can co-exist, seamlessly.”